Picking up the Pieces
by Silver Bee
Summary: John and Virgil haven't been getting along, but Jeff's got a plan to change all that. Not that things work out quite the way he expected...
1. Chapter 1

_It seems ages since I last posted anything. Real life and work have really got in the way of writing, but now I've got a week off and a story to tell. Hope you like it. Bee_

Grandma carefully folded Scott's shirt before placing another one over the ironing board. Just a small pile of his things remained now and she let her hands smooth lovingly over the material of this latest item, remembering how handsome Scott had looked in it when he'd escorted her to church the previous Sunday. That kind of thing didn't happen often these days, but she'd asked him as a special favour and he'd willingly agreed, his going-away gift to the woman who'd raised him for the past seven years.

She'd miss him so much when he left for college, she thought, deftly manoeuvring the tip of the iron between the buttons and frowning as she realised one was coming loose. But as she placed the iron down and picked the shirt up to check it more carefully, a shout from the lounge distracted her and she found herself almost holding her breath as she waited to see what the problem was _this_ time.

It should have been a quiet evening. Jeff was working late at his office and Scott had taken his two youngest brothers out to a movie. Usually, being left with only Virgil and John would be a pleasure - the pair were the quietest (unless Virgil was feeling particularly inspired at the piano) and the best-behaved. She still couldn't quite believe how all that had changed over the past week. Not that anyone had expected Virgil to cope well with his favourite brother's imminent departure, but no one had expected him to be taking it out on John. The second-oldest brother wasn't one to suffer any perceived unfairness in silence, and the resulting arguments had left everyone on edge. Even Scott, as he'd said goodbye to her earlier, had wished her luck and commented hesitantly that he wished Tuesday would come round quickly - that trying to keep Virgil happy whilst giving everyone else a fair share of his attention was wearing him out. Grandma knew how he felt. She'd dreaded the day he would leave, but now it couldn't come soon enough.

The shouts had grown louder - John and Virgil had made their way into the hall now - and she dropped the shirt with a sigh and headed for the door. As she pulled it open a blur of green ran past her and up the stairs, what had become the familiar yell of, "I hate you, John!" telling her, as if she didn't already know, that it was Virgil.

"Sure you do!" John yelled back. "Well, you know what, Virg? I don't like you much right now, either. I'm sorry I'm not Scott, okay? I wish I was - at least then I'd be the one leaving this miserable place!"

The only response he got was the slamming of a door followed by the sudden blare of music, so loud that Grandma could swear she saw the walls rippling in time to the bass notes. It was certainly too loud to have any kind of conversation with John and she resignedly made her way to the foot of the stairs, hoping Virgil hadn't barricaded his door as he'd done the previous day, only to stop as the music cut out as suddenly as it had started.

She turned to see John shutting up the fuse box under the stairs. He managed a half-smile and shrugged. "That'll keep him quiet for a bit."

"Didn't you just turn the lights out up there, too?" Grandma asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry, he won't stay up there. A bit of peace and quiet so I could finish my book would be far too much to ask for, you know that." John turned back to the lounge, only to be called back by his grandmother.

"Come into the kitchen for a moment."

John looked reluctant but he did as she asked.

"Sit down," Grandma told him, taking a seat at the table next to him. "Now then, what was all that about?"

"Do you have to ask?" John said. "I was trying to read but Virg wanted to try playing that tune again."

"Oh..." Grandma remembered a day several months ago when Scott had commented that he liked something Virgil had been listening to. Surprised at his eldest brother's sudden appreciation of a style of music that he usually only tolerated for Virgil's sake, the middle brother had tried to play it for him, only to find that, as talented as he undoubtedly was, he just didn't have the reach yet. Scott had laughed and told him not to worry, that he was only thirteen and once his hands had grown a bit more he'd be able to play anything he wanted, but, Tracy that he was, Virgil had refused to admit defeat, determined to master it before his brother left home. It was unusual to hear the musician playing with anything less than complete proficiency and the mis-hit notes in this melody were particularly jarring. Grandma could quite understand why John had grown so irritated.

"It was driving me crazy. I guess I didn't handle it so well, Grandma. Not like Scott would have done. I yelled at him, he yelled back and then he took off up the stairs. Now he'll go running to Scott and I'll get another lecture on how to handle the kids. That'll be about the twelfth one this week and every single one has been because of Virgil." He sighed as he buried his head in his hands.

"I know he's taking all his frustrations out on you right now," Grandma told him, "But trust me, once your brother's in college things will settle down. Virgil doesn't want you to be Scott, you know, he wants you to be yourself."

"Does he?"

"Of course he does. John, you know he's yelling at you because he won't let himself yell at Scott, don't you?"

John looked at her in some surprise. "What do you mean?"

"He's angry at Scott for leaving. But he doesn't want to upset him - he knows how much he's looking forward to college - so he's taking it out on you."

"I guess that makes sense," John said thoughtfully, wondering why he hadn't realised that himself. Maybe he'd been more upset by Virgil's behaviour than he'd allowed himself to admit.

Grandma reached over to squeeze his hand. "The two of you are good friends, really. In fact, I seem to remember the pair of you being very tight around the time of Scott's eighteenth birthday. You'll get that back again, I promise."

John shrugged. "I hope so. Thanks, Grandma. Guess you'd better go and check on Virg. He was pretty upset."

"Virgil will come down when he's hungry. I'm more concerned about you right now."

A little surprised that his grandmother wasn't rushing up to check on the grandson he suspected was her favourite, John glanced at the clock and allowed himself to smile. "Well, it's been half an hour since dinner, he's probably starving already."

"Probably. You'll be fine, John. You're very different to Scott but you'll be surprised how quickly the boys will adapt to having you as the oldest - and that includes Virgil. Anyway, it won't be long until you're off to college yourself."

As Grandma had half-suspected, that comment wasn't greeted with any enthusiasm. Instead, a flash of misery crossed John's face before he covered it up and muttered something about getting back to his book before hurriedly leaving the room. Returning thoughtfully to her ironing, Grandma decided she'd have to talk to his father.

It wasn't until later that night that she had the chance to do so. Virgil had finally been enticed out of his room by the offer of cookies and thankfully, after a firm lecture from his grandmother, had resisted the temptation to try to get John into trouble with Scott, so they'd spent a relatively peaceful hour until the other boys returned. When the younger ones were finally settled in their beds and the older ones were watching TV, she brought Jeff a drink and told him about the evening's events.

"I think we've been so focused on Virgil that we've missed how much John's struggling," she told him.

"I can't say I'm surprised, Mom," Jeff admitted. "That thing about leaving home? You know he wanted to take the advanced classes so he could graduate high school early."

"I know. You wouldn't let him."

"No. I wanted him to have a normal life. He'd cope with the work but how would he make friends? John's brilliant, but there's more to life than studying. If he didn't have the other boys to drag him away from his books occasionally, the kid would be a total recluse. I've told him this time and time again, but he still resents me for holding him back."

"I remember how bitter he was," Grandma mused. "I suppose it's hard for him to watch Scott heading off to college when he wants to be going himself."

"I don't like seeing him unhappy, but I don't regret my decision," Jeff told her. "I've seen at first hand the harm that kind of thing can do. You know I'm taking John and Virgil to visit Vine Technology once we've settled Scott at Yale?"

"Is this the company you're thinking of buying?" Grandma asked.

"Yes. There's a young man there by the name of Hiram. He's Scott's age but he's already finished university. He's utterly brilliant - and the loneliest person I've ever met. The people at Vine Tech are pleasant enough to him, but he just doesn't seem to be able to make friends. He stammers, which doesn't help, of course - he's very self-conscious as well as being chronically shy. To be honest, it's not the company I want, it's him. The work he did on that joint project was spectacular."

"Poor boy," Grandma said. "But isn't a bit of a drastic step to buy the company in order to get him to work for you? Why don't you just offer him a job?"

"I did, but he wants to stay in a place where he feels secure."

"Well, if he's as shy as you say, that's understandable. But, Jeff, John would never end up like that - he's a good-looking boy and the girls seem to like him. He can make friends easily enough if he makes the effort."

"If he stops reading long enough you mean," Jeff smiled. "I know John would never be as isolated as Hiram, but even so... Anyway, like I said, there's more to college life than studying - as I'm sure Scott is going to find out. I'd like to think John will take full advantage when he finally gets there. No, I made the right decision. John will thank me one day."

"I hope so," Grandma said. "It's going to be a long two years if things carry on like this."

"It certainly is."

"Do you still think it's a good idea to take the boys up to Yale with you?"

Jeff nodded. "Yes. I think Virgil will find it easier to cope if he can see Scott settled and John wants to look around the place in case he decides to go there. A few days away from the rest of the family will do them good, I think. I'm going to be tied up with work a lot of the time so they'll be stuck with each other and they'll have to work things out. At least, I hope they will."

His mother smiled. "I thought I'd drawn the short straw being left with Gordon and Alan. Now I'm not so sure."

Jeff looked at her for a moment, then knocked back the remainder of his drink and reached again for the bottle...


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you so much to everyone who responded to the first chapter - it's very much appreciated. Whirlgirl, I really do value your comments - thank you. _

Chapter Two

"Virgil... It's time to get up. Come on... Oh, for heaven's sake, _Virgil!_"

Virgil had, unusually, been awake for some time, but he still feigned sleep, burrowing further under the covers in an attempt to get away from the hand that roughly shook his shoulder. His grandmother and youngest brother had already tried to get him out of bed and been forced to admit defeat, but he knew his father would be a tougher opponent. The one he really wanted was Scott, of course, but the sound of his brother shouting something to Gordon suggested that he was occupied elsewhere.

"Virgil, I know you're hoping that if you ignore today it will never happen, but you're out of luck. Scott's going soon and if you want these last few hours with him you need to get up now. Breakfast's in ten minutes and we're leaving in an hour. If you're not ready, I'm leaving you behind."

Jeff finally managed to get the covers off his son, only for Virgil to moan pathetically.

"I don't feel so good, Dad. Can't we go tomorrow?"

Resisting the temptation to scream, Jeff sat down on the side of the bed.

"Good effort, son, but Gordon and Alan have already tried that one this morning. It didn't work for them and it's not going to work for you. Nothing short of an outbreak of the plague is going to keep Scott in this house." He reached out to feel his son's forehead. "Perfectly normal. Still, I wouldn't want you being sick on the way. If you really don't feel up to the trip I guess you should stay home."

He'd known Virgil would play up this morning, which was why he'd volunteered to get him up when Scott had offered to do it. His eldest son was visibly wavering between excitement and anxiety and the last thing he needed was Virgil making him feel guilty about leaving. Even so, Jeff couldn't help feeling bad that he'd been so abrupt as he saw the miserable look on Virgil's face, but then it had already been a stressful morning and he'd only been up an hour. The younger boys were being particularly irritating and his mother had burst into tears as she'd poured his coffee. Then there was the current drama being played out as Scott hunted for one of his bags which had suddenly disappeared from its place beside the front door.

As if that wasn't enough, he had to deal with his own feelings. As proud as he was of his son, this wasn't an easy time for him. He'd never felt as though his family was complete since the day he'd lost Lucy and now there would be an even bigger gap in his life. He'd have to do this four more times, he thought, and then he would be completely alone...

"Dad? Are you okay?"

Jeff was forced out of his reverie to see Virgil staring at him, misery replaced by concern, not to mention confusion. He forced a smile. "I'm okay, son. This isn't easy for me, either."

Virgil didn't quite know what to say to that. It was rare for his father to admit to any feelings of insecurity or uncertainty. For a moment the pair sat in silence, then, at the sound of his mother's voice calling everyone to breakfast, Jeff shook himself into action.

"Come on. You have to face it, son."

Virgil climbed out of bed and grabbed the clothes he'd put out the night before.

"Virgil?" Jeff said, as he left the room.

"Yeah?"

"Don't make it harder for Scott to say goodbye. Please?"

Virgil shrugged. "'Kay."

"Good." Jeff paused for a moment. "You'll be okay with John, too, won't you?" It had been a tense couple of days, but the combined efforts of himself, Scott and his mother seemed to have got through to Virgil. The boy was clearly still unhappy, but he was doing his best not to take things out on his brother. Instead his piano had borne the brunt of his frustration - though any attempts to play the tune which had caused the fight of a couple of days ago were now strictly forbidden.

Virgil sighed. "Guess so. I promised Scott I'd try."

Jeff felt some of the weight on his shoulders lift as he left the room. A promise to Scott wasn't something Virgil would take lightly. Maybe the next few days wouldn't be so bad after all.

But first they had to get through breakfast. There were more tears from Grandma and another tantrum from Alan, still unhappy that Scott had found the bag he'd hidden in the hope that his brother wouldn't be able to leave without it. Gordon continually pointing out the fact that under Alan's bed would be the first place Scott would look hadn't helped matters, and for the second time that morning the two youngest brothers had started snapping at each other until their grandmother had, completely uncharacteristically, yelled at them to be quiet. No one ate particularly well, even though Grandma had outdone herself to prepare a goodbye feast. Scott did his best, but the knowledge that he wouldn't eat this well again for quite some time just made him feel homesick - and he hadn't even left yet!

He felt worse when the time came for the final goodbyes. Even after all his bags were packed into his father's car and John, Jeff and Virgil were sitting inside waiting for him, he found it hard to make that final break. It didn't help that his grandmother had decided that the best way to stop herself from crying was to launch into a last-minute series of lectures. She seemed to think Yale would be full of girls with dubious morals just waiting to lure him into trouble. Scott couldn't help hoping she was right about that one - not that he dared say so - but he also had to endure endless reminders about laundry, cooking, cleaning... When she'd finally run out of things to say, Scott had given her one last hug, clapped his youngest brothers on the back and got inside the car, only to have to get straight back out again to forcibly move Alan and Gordon who had decided that lying in front of the vehicle was a sure-fire way to ensure that no one went anywhere. In the end it was with some relief that he sat back as his father pulled away, only to immediately feel completely overwhelmed by everything as they turned a corner and the house, along with the oldest and youngest members of his family, was lost from sight.

"Okay, son?" his father asked. He'd been through this himself and he knew how Scott was feeling. At least his eldest didn't have to endure the feelings of guilt that Jeff had suffered when he'd left his widowed mother all alone.

"Yeah," Scott replied, and if his tone lacked its usual surety, no one said anything.

The flight to Yale in Jeff's private jet was unique in that there was none of the usual scrambling to be the one to sit in the co-pilot's seat next to their father. Scott would have loved to have had one last chance to fly, but he dutifully stayed in the cabin with his brothers, doing his best to keep a conversation going, even as he watched them carefully for any signs of tension. Virgil was, in fairness, doing his best to behave, even though Scott had to frown at him a couple of times when he seemed set to object as John made yet another comment about how lucky Scott was to be heading off to college. The blond was doing his best to be patient with Virgil, seeing things in a new light after his conversation with his grandmother, but he still had his own issues to deal with and Scott could see he was finding it increasingly hard to keep his temper. It was a long flight...

By early afternoon they'd arrived at Yale and finished moving Scott's things into his room. Virgil had been visibly disappointed to find that the place was pleasant enough. He'd clearly been hoping that Scott would take one look at it and decide he wanted to go home. As they wandered round the campus he grew even more subdued, scowling ferociously every time Scott showed any signs of enthusiasm. John was quiet too, even more so than usual, his expression eventually matching his brother's. Jeff registered his younger sons' discontent, but, knowing he'd have the next couple of days to help them come to terms with it all, decided he was going to focus all his attention on Scott. After all, it would be a few months before he would have the chance to do so again.

Eventually, they returned to Scott's room and talked for a while longer, all of them reluctant to admit that the time to part had arrived. It was Jeff who finally decided they had to get moving. Virgil and John would have lingered for hours, but the father knew it was time his eldest got the chance to start out on his new life. He shook his son's hand, smiled as Scott said goodbye to John, then pulled his second-eldest out of the room to allow the other two a little time together in private. John hadn't been too happy, but, when the others had finally emerged and he'd seen the utterly woeful expression on Virgil's face, he'd understood his father's actions. Virgil would always be closest to Scott, he thought, and he wondered again how he was supposed to take over from his brother.

They got to their car, having left Scott chatting to one of other boys, and Jeff got in. John hesitated. Scott always sat next to their father. Turning to Virgil he asked,

"Want to ride shotgun?" but Virgil just shook his head and flung himself into the back seat, turning his head to look out of the window, clearly doing his best not to cry.

"Come on, John," Jeff called, reaching across to open the passenger door. John was about to get in, then realised Virgil was watching him, a look of fury and betrayal on his face. With a small smile, John pushed the door shut and opened the one behind, settling himself into the back seat beside his brother.

"Okay, Virg?" he asked gently.

Virgil turned to him in wide-eyed surprise, clearly having expected him to have jumped straight into Scott's place. He managed a tiny but grateful smile before turning away. John looked up and caught his father's eye in the mirror. Jeff nodded in approval, then, with a final wistful glance back at the building where he'd left his son, drove away.

It was a fifty mile drive to the town where Vine Technology was based. Jeff's meeting wasn't until the following day, but he'd decided against staying anywhere near Scott, fearing his son might feel obliged to spend time with them instead of getting to know his fellow-students. Instead, he'd booked tickets for a basketball game, hoping to keep the boys occupied and get them involved in something other than moping for their lost brother. It wasn't the most exuberant he'd ever seen them, but they both seemed grateful for the distraction and, much to Jeff's relief, they seemed to be doing their best to keep on the right side of each other. After the game they went back to their hotel, tired after the long day and with an early start ahead of them the next morning so Jeff could take a tour of the facilities before his meeting. The company had agreed to allow the boys to go too, Jeff having mentioned that John would enjoy seeing the laboratories. Virgil wasn't particularly keen, being more interested in grand engineering projects, but he was happy enough to go along, appreciating how important things like this were to his father.

And so, after a breakfast which was a little more cheerful than the one they'd had the day before - Scott having called to reassure them he was doing just fine and already making friends - they arrived at Vine Technology where the owner was waiting to meet them.

"Okay," Jeff said as they got out of the car. "Remember, best behaviour, boys, I need you to make a good impression. These people are important to me." So saying, he straightened his tie and strode forward towards the woman who stood just inside the doorway, a broad smile on his face.

"Jennifer, it's good to see you," he said.

"Jeff!" The woman pulled Jeff firmly towards her, kissing both his cheeks. "You're looking well," she told him, gazing into his eyes.

John and Virgil exchanged incredulous looks. Their father didn't even like his own mother hugging him. To see him allowing a strange woman to get her hands on him - and to keep them there, since Jennifer was still holding on - was a complete shock. He didn't even look bothered about it - if anything he was smiling even more widely than before.

Jeff returned the compliment before reminding the woman that his sons were present. Jennifer let one hand drop as she turned to them, though the other ran gently over Jeff's back as she looked over to the two teenagers.

"Hello, boys. It's good to meet you at last. Your father's told me so much about you."

"Has he now," John muttered under his breath. "He's certainly kept quiet about you..."


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, followed or favourited this. Whirlgirl, are you reading my mind...? Guest, thanks for the review, I appreciate it._

Chapter Three

"Hurry up you two, we haven't got all day!"

Oblivious to the thoughts racing through his sons' minds, Jeff ushered the boys into what appeared to be Jennifer's office.

"Coffee?" the woman asked, smiling as Jeff nodded, then cutting him off as he started to tell her how he liked it.

"I remember, Jeff," she told him as she passed the order on to her secretary. "Boys, would you like anything? Juice? Soda?"

John took the chance for an orange juice but Virgil, despite actually being quite thirsty, just shook his head. The thirteen-year-old couldn't believe how familiar this woman was with his father. Was this why he'd brought them with him? Was it not so much a case of saying goodbye to a brother as saying hello to a new mother? Well, that was never going to happen, not if he had anything to do with it. He cast a glance across at John, unable to believe how well he was taking this as he politely responded to Jennifer's questions about school. What was his brother playing at? Didn't he see what was going on? Surely he couldn't be comfortable with it? He certainly hadn't looked that way in the parking lot. But here he was making an effort to get along with the woman. All the boy's resentment towards his brother came flooding back and he wondered why he'd bothered making the effort to be civil to him since they'd left Yale. Okay, he'd promised Scott, but his brother hadn't known about all this - and Virgil couldn't wait for an opportunity to tell him. Maybe that would convince him to come back home...

But Virgil was forced to admit that the chances of his brother turning his back on Yale for good were virtually non-existent. As much as Scott had tried to restrain himself when he'd called that morning, it was clear that he'd already fallen in love with the place. No, for now at least, Virgil was stuck with John, who was still smiling and chatting away. Virgil couldn't understand it. Had this woman captivated John just as she had his father? Well she would never get _him_ to like her. He was desperate to call Grandma - she'd be on his side - and as for Alan and Gordon, well he couldn't wait to let them loose on Jennifer. If nothing else worked, they'd see her off...

John couldn't help wondering why Virgil was suddenly smiling. He knew his brother was as unhappy as he was about the Jennifer situation, but he also knew that now wasn't the time to cause any trouble. John had seen how, from the moment he'd got out of his car, Jeff Tracy had stopped being 'Dad' and become 'Mr Tracy, billionaire businessman'. His father wasn't about to enter into a discussion about his private life - it had come as quite a shock to John to realise that he might actually _have_ such a thing - when he was in the offices of a company he was hoping to buy. No, John would have to bide his time, but later he'd want to know exactly what his father was playing at. So for now, he put on a show of civility, all the time hating the woman.

When the drinks arrived Jennifer asked her secretary to inform the manager that the tour of the facilities would begin in fifteen minutes. Then she turned back to Jeff and the boys, asking Virgil how he'd enjoyed the previous evening's basketball game.

"Virgil?" Jeff prompted when there was no answer. "Virgil, Jennifer asked you a question."

For a moment John envied his brother for being thirteen and able to behave so rudely - then flinched as he caught his father's expression. Scott would be proud of him, John thought, as he spoke quickly to save his brother.

"You'll have to excuse Virgil, Mrs Vine. He's probably just making up a tune. Or thinking about a picture. You know these creative types - on another planet half the time. Isn't that right, Dad?"

Jeff didn't look convinced but he relaxed a little, nodding in approval at John before shooting Virgil another irritated glare.

Jennifer smiled at John, relieved to turn her attention away from the sullen younger boy.

"Is he any good?"

_Thought you'd heard all about us,_ John thought as he informed her, "He won the junior Bartlett-Oppenheim prize two years ago, so I guess you could say he's good."

"How wonderful," Jennifer replied. "You'll have to paint me a picture, Virgil. My office could do with livening up."

Virgil finally took an interest in the conversation. "What would be the point? It won't be your office for much longer, will it? Not if you're selling the company to my father."

Jeff choked on his coffee but Jennifer just laughed, albeit a little awkwardly. "Well, we're only in the early stages of negotiation. Camberley-Chambers made me a very good offer just yesterday. But of course, there's no one I'd rather deal with than your father. We'll have to see. There are several options we need to explore, aren't there, Jeff?"

"There are, yes," Jeff said shortly, glaring across at his younger son. John bit his lip, wondering if his father was really comfortable enough with this woman to feel happy giving his son a dressing down in front of her. Virgil rarely, if ever, angered their father, and now probably wasn't the best time to start. Having been on the wrong side of the boy's temper several times himself lately, and knowing how tightly wound up he was after saying goodbye to Scott, John knew that any fight would be ferocious. And whilst he was quite happy to put Jennifer off the idea that she could play happy families with his father, a nuclear Virgil was probably too much to ask anyone to handle, especially when it might cost their father a business deal.

The arrival of an elderly man in a lab coat came as a relief to everyone, though the way Jeff eyed Virgil suggested that the matter wouldn't be forgotten.

"Ready for the tour, Mrs Vine?" the man asked.

"Oh, Roger, yes. I think we're done here. Jeff? Boys?"

Everyone was thankful for the distraction and rose to their feet, Jeff hurriedly draining the remainder of his coffee.

"This is Roger Sparkes, my right-hand man," Jennifer told them. "He runs the labs and makes sure everything's in order. He'll be your guide. To be honest, boys, I'm no scientist. My husband was the founder of the company. He died in a car crash six months ago and left all this to me."

She paused and turned away, apparently wiping a tear away. John and Virgil watched her stonily, but Jeff moved forward to pat her shoulder. "I know," he said. "It's hard, isn't it?"

"It is," she sniffed. "I feel so alone..."

Seeming to pull herself together she turned back to them, smiling bravely. "I'm sorry," she said. "Whatever must your boys think of me?"

"I'm sure they understand," Jeff told her. "But you're not alone, you know."

She laughed. "Oh, Jeff. You're so sweet."

Jeff flushed. "I meant your daughter."

"Oh. Yes. Of course..." She turned to the two boys. "I wish you could have met Emily, but she's away at boarding school. You'd like her. Such a sweet girl."

With that she left the office, closely followed by Jeff. The boys made to follow, standing aside to allow the manager to leave first. He surprised them by whispering, "Lucky escape if you ask me. Kid's a brat," before winking at them and leading the way out of the room. Immediately warming to the man, John and Virgil followed.

It surprised John how quickly he felt comfortable in Roger Sparkes' presence. The man clearly knew his stuff - and he didn't patronise him the way some of his father's colleagues did. He seemed impressed with John's intellect and the two were soon deep in conversation about the work Vine Technology was doing. He couldn't help looking over at his father and Jennifer who had moved ahead, lost in their own discussions. John heard the word 'merger' uttered quite a few times by Jennifer, just confirming his suspicions that the woman didn't want to lose her company, instead she wanted to gain a partner - and not just a business partner. He wondered if Roger could give him any information which he could use to put his father off the woman, but he was wary about asking. After all, even though he'd been happy to criticise the woman's daughter, it was a very different thing to ask him to criticise his boss.

Glancing back at Virgil who was trailing sulkily behind, John slowed to let his brother catch up with him, letting Roger go on ahead.

"You okay?" he asked.

"What do you care?" Virgil snapped. "Don't worry about me. Go and talk to your friend."

"Roger's a good guy" John told him. "Walk with us; you'll be interested."

Virgil stopped dead and stared at his brother. "I meant _Jennifer_," he told him, before barging past. John drew in a sharp breath. Why couldn't his brother see that John hated Jennifer as much as he did? For a moment he was tempted to drag him back and have it out with him, but it wasn't really the time or the place. It would have to wait - and John knew from bitter experience that giving Virgil's temper time to simmer wasn't going to make it any easier to convince him to listen to reason.

Virgil's bad mood wasn't helped any when they were required to put on hazmat suits in order to enter one of the labs. John was tall enough to fit into one without any problems, but, even though he'd grown a lot over the past year, Virgil's suit was far too large for him. Roger found a few rubber bands and did a sterling job of rolling up the sleeves and legs so that the boy wasn't completely swamped, but even so, he felt ridiculous. It didn't help that he caught one of the lab technicians turning away to hide his laughter. Scowling more than ever, he refused to take any interest in the demonstrations they were given, skulking at the back of the group and wishing more than ever that his father had never heard of Vine Technology.

Jennifer hadn't joined them for that part of the tour - Virgil suspected she didn't want the suit's helmet messing up her perfectly styled hair, but she was waiting for them when they emerged from the lab, immediately latching onto his father.

It didn't do anything for his feelings for the woman when she took one look at him and laughed. Then she caught sight of the look of utter fury on the boy's face and actually took a step backwards.

"I'm sorry, Virgil, but you look so cute," she said, just a little nervously.

John could only close his eyes and wish once again that Scott was there as Virgil exploded, throwing his helmet across the room and snapping,

"_Cute? _I'm not _Alan_!"

He stood there, breathing heavily. There was a stunned silence for a moment, then his father pulled him into a corner, the admonishment clearly none the less powerful for being delivered in a whisper.

"He's missing our brother," John said awkwardly, wondering how stupid the woman must be to risk teasing Virgil after his performance in her office. Still, it might make their father realise that she wasn't going to fit into their family...

"John's right," Jeff said, pulling Virgil over. "It's no excuse, but he's not been himself lately. Thirteen's not a good age anyway. He's certainly not cute any more. Maybe I _should_ have brought Alan along. At least he's got manners." He shook his son's arm and muttered, "Time for that apology, Virgil."

"Sorry," Virgil mumbled, his eyes never leaving the floor.

"So you should be," Jeff told him. "This isn't over, Virgil. Jennifer, I'm so sorry."

"That's alright, Jeff," Jennifer said, though she looked coldly at Virgil for a moment. "Let's get on with the tour, shall we?"

As she pulled their father away, both boys clearly heard her saying something about 'boarding school'.

"Nice one, Virg," John said. "Now you've got Dad mad."

"Oh shut up, John!"

Roger had been watching them and now he coughed gently, reminding them of his presence. "Everything okay?" he asked.

The brothers were grateful when, without waiting for a reply, he started moving along the corridor. Virgil ignored John's plea for him to stay behind and talk, pushing past his brother and striding quickly after Roger. John could do nothing else but follow. A few moments later they'd rejoined the others.

Jennifer had clearly decided to take no notice of Virgil, though she smiled faintly at John before turning back to Jeff. "I know this is the part you've been waiting for. I don't know what Hiram's working on right now, but I know it's going to make the company a lot of money."

Jeff seemed to think it best to ignore Virgil too. "This is the young man I've been telling you about," he told John, as Roger opened the door and ushered them in.

John hadn't expected to like Hiram Hackenbacker, unable to help the jealousy that had overtaken him when he'd heard about him. His father had sat him down for a long talk the day before Scott had left home, telling him about the problems the genius had encountered, despite his exceptionally early graduation. He hadn't taken them seriously though, and, as he took a look around the lab and saw some of the work the man was doing, he didn't think anything could detract from the joy of being let loose with this kind of equipment. Hiram was nervous, to be sure, stammering a welcome and looking as though he'd rather be anywhere else but in his lab right now, but once he got talking to his father he seemed to gain some confidence, soon engrossed in a demonstration of his latest invention. No, his father must have been exaggerating.

John had intended to take this opportunity to try to speak to Virgil again, but it only took a few words from Hiram for the boy to find himself fascinated. Within moments he'd forgotten all about his brother. His father had been right, he thought. Hiram was indeed a genius.

"Feel free to look around," Roger said to Virgil, seeing that the boy was reluctant to join the others, clearly deciding it was best to keep a low profile for a while. "Just don't touch anything. Some of Hiram's experiments can be a little... volatile."

"I won't," Virgil told him, resisting the temptation to roll his eyes. It wasn't as if he hadn't visited places like this before. Still, Roger couldn't know that and he actually liked the man, grateful for the way he'd tried to reassure him that his father's business deal wouldn't be affected by his outburst. Roger had been right. Hiram's designs were fascinating, and the boy even managed to forget how unhappy he was for a short while as he wandered around the lab.

Eventually Jennifer brought the demonstration to an end, much to Jeff and John's clear disappointment.

"Lunchtime," she announced. "Jeff, I've ordered your favourite."

With a few final words to Hiram, they left, Roger lingering at the door for a moment.

"You did well," he told the young man. "I told you it would be fine. Jeff Tracy's your biggest fan and I think you've picked up another one."

He couldn't help laughing when Hiram blushed.

Hiram watched the door slide shut then allowed himself to sink back into his chair. He'd been dreading having to show off his work and he was utterly relieved it was all over. It wasn't Jeff Tracy who had made him so nervous - he liked the man and sometimes even wondered if he hadn't been too hasty in turning down his offer of a job - but he'd never been comfortable around Jennifer Vine. He'd been anxious about speaking in front of Tracy's sons, too. The youngest didn't bother him so much, but John Tracy was fairly close to his own age, and he'd never found it easy to get along with his peers. He'd been relieved when the blond Tracy hadn't been intimidated by him, but instead had taken a real interest in what he'd had to say. All in all it had been a success and he looked forward to being left in peace for the rest of the day.

Engrossed once more in the experiment he had been performing before he'd been interrupted, he didn't register the humming noise from the back of the lab that gradually increased in intensity. Nor did he notice the machinery that began to glow red as it grew hotter and hotter.

He only realised there was a problem when the device exploded.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for the response to the last chapter. Whirlgirl, I'm really glad you liked it._

Chapter Four

Jeff's first thought as the building shook and a shower of dust and debris rained down on them from above was to get his boys to safety. Wincing at the screech of alarms - though he thought he might have already been somewhat deafened by the sound of the explosion - he grabbed each son and steered them towards an emergency exit which was thankfully close by.

"Move!" he ordered as Virgil hesitated, but Roger took the boy's other arm and between them they got the thirteen-year-old out. Turning his head, Jeff was relieved to see Jennifer close behind him as they exited the building. A steady stream of Vine Technology employees were doing the same thing and the small courtyard was quickly filled.

They stared at the hole in the building where the windows of Hiram Hackenbacker's laboratory had been. Smoke was pouring out and the company's trained fire fighters were already charging over with extinguishers in their hands. Roger, after a final check on his employer and her guests, went off to join them.

As the first of the emergency vehicles arrived on the scene, Jennifer finally tore her attention away from the disaster. Her gaze settled on Virgil and her eyes narrowed, then, much to the surprise of the man she'd been trying all morning to impress, not to mention the boy himself, she took a step towards him, grabbing his arm and screeching, "What did you do?"

"Hey!" Jeff put out a hand to protect his startled son. "Virgil didn't do anything, Jennifer. I don't know what happened, but my sons have been in all my establishments plenty of times. They know how to behave."

"Know how to behave?" Jennifer snarled. "After this morning's performance? I don't think- _What?_"

She swung round to confront the man who gently gripped her shoulder. It was Roger Sparkes, who smiled sympathetically at Virgil as he murmured, "The fire department want to talk to you, Mrs Vine."

"I'll be back," Jennifer promised, glaring once again at Virgil before allowing Roger to lead her away.

"Dad, I..."

"I know, Virgil," Jeff told him. "But Jennifer's upset. It's only natural after what's happened. It'll be okay, son, I'll talk to her."

Virgil turned away. He appreciated his father backing him, but even so, he couldn't help feeling hurt that even after the way the woman had accused him when he was entirely innocent, the man hadn't said a word in criticism of her. Instead he'd tried to defend her.

"You okay?" John asked.

"Yeah," Virgil said shortly, shrugging off the tentative hand his brother placed on his shoulder and stalking away until he found a space, ignoring John when he followed him. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he speed-dialled the one person he knew could make everything right again.

When Scott didn't answer he was truly devastated. The sound of his brother's voice as he suggested the caller leave a message just upset Virgil even more. He tried, but he couldn't get any words out, just swallowing hard a couple of times before cutting the call.

"He's probably doing college stuff," John suggested. "He might not even have his phone turned on."

Virgil couldn't look at his brother. Thirteen-year-old boys shouldn't cry - they were practically men, after all - but right now that was exactly what he felt like doing. He'd never admit it to John, but the thought of tampering with some of the machinery in Hiram's lab had actually occurred to him - it would annoy Jennifer for sure - but loyalty to his father, not to mention his own innate sense of fairness had stopped him. For that reason, Jennifer's accusation stung all the more.

The arrival of an ambulance didn't make him feel any better.

For the next hour or so there was chaos at Vine Technology, Jeff doing his best to reassure his sons - both of them, since John, too, was distressed by what had happened. Fortunately things weren't as bad as they'd seemed initially. Roger came back to tell them that Hiram was battered and bruised but hadn't received any serious injuries. Even so, he'd breathed in a lot of smoke and that had been enough for the paramedics to insist on taking him into hospital, despite his feeble protests. Roger promised to stay with him and to let them know how he was getting on.

"Don't worry, kid," he told Virgil. "I'm sure it was just an accident."

Virgil might have appreciated his words more if there hadn't been the tiniest hint of uncertainty in his voice. He'd stuttered something about his innocence, but at that moment Jennifer had reappeared. His father had immediately drawn her off to one side and, although he knew the man was defending him, he couldn't help wondering if Jennifer would believe him. She certainly didn't look convinced as she glanced across at him.

"You didn't make it easy for her to believe you," John told him.

"You think I don't know that?" Virgil snapped, and John, recognising the signs of another explosion of temper, backed off. He was never comfortable in emotional situations like this, and the recent decline in the state of his relationship with his brother had left him wary of saying the wrong thing and making things even worse. It hadn't helped that despite trying again and again, Virgil still hadn't been able to get through to Scott.

Eventually they'd returned to their hotel for a late lunch which no one felt like eating. Jeff took a phone call from Jennifer just as they were finishing up. The boys were none too happy when he told them who it was, but they said nothing, just watching their father closely, relieved when his concerned expression faded.

"Well, it's good news," he told them as he ended the call. "Hiram's okay, they just want to keep him in overnight to be on the safe side. The accident investigation team have just gone in. I'm sure they'll be able to establish the truth of what happened."

"She still thinks it's me, doesn't she?" Virgil asked.

"Virgil, I've told her she was wrong. It's okay. Don't fret, son."

She shouldn't have blamed Virg," John said, not for the first time.

"I doubt she knew what she was saying, John," Jeff told him. "It was quite a shock - for all of us."

* * *

Later that evening the two boys were surprised when their father came out of his room dressed in a smart grey suit.

"Going somewhere?" John asked.

"I'm taking Jennifer to dinner."

Virgil said nothing, just got up and stomped into his room. He knew better than to slam the door, but he shut it with just enough force to let his father know he wasn't happy.

Jeff stared after his son. John said nothing, although he really wanted to discuss this would-be-stepmother with his father. He'd been desperate to do it all afternoon but when they'd returned to their suite after lunch his father had disappeared into his room with the instruction that he wasn't to be disturbed for the next couple of hours since he had work to do. John might have disregarded the order, but he'd had his hands full with other matters.

Virgil had finally managed to get through to Scott, giving the eldest brother such an exaggerated and incoherent account of the day's events that he had eventually had to insist on being put through to John in order to make sense of it all. The blond had managed to reassure Scott that things weren't quite as life-and-death as the middle boy had implied but Virgil hadn't been happy, having clearly hoped that Scott would be on the next bus into town. Even so, the talk with his eldest brother had calmed him a little, much to John's relief. Both boys would have been happier if Scott had taken the Jennifer situation more seriously, but the eldest boy had just laughed and refused to entertain the idea that their father might have a girlfriend. John decided that as soon as his father had gone he was going to call his brother and inform him that Jeff Tracy had abandoned his still-shaken sons in favour of a night out with Jennifer. Maybe that would convince him that there really was a problem.

With an effort he turned his attention back to his father, who was still focused on Virgil.

"I don't know what more to say to him," Jeff admitted. "The idea of him doing anything to cause an explosion is laughable, but Jennifer doesn't know him like we do. I just wish he hadn't made such a bad impression at the start. I suppose at some stage I need to speak to him about his behaviour this morning, though in light of everything else that's happened... " He sighed. "Will you be alright with him?"

"We'll be okay," John told him.

"At least the two of you seem to be getting on a little better now," Jeff said. "He appreciates you speaking up for him. You know, I'd hoped this trip would help the two of you build a few bridges, but I have to admit, I didn't expect things to turn out quite like this."

Glancing at his watch, he moved towards the door. "I'll be back around midnight and I don't expect you boys to be up. You can order from room service if you like, but don't leave the suite. If Virgil plays up, call me."

With that he was gone, leaving John to stare at the slowly closing door. After a few moments he moved out to the balcony. Their room was at the front of the hotel and as he looked down he saw a limousine draw up. A woman who, even from the twelfth floor, was recognisable as Jennifer, got out and moved forward to greet his father as he strode out of the hotel. John felt sick as he watched the pair embrace before getting into the car.

Deciding he should check on his brother, John turned to go back inside, only to find Virgil standing behind him.

"Has he gone?"

"Yeah," John said, deciding it might be best to keep quiet about the warm greeting his father and Jennifer had exchanged. Then he noticed something.

"Why have you got your jacket on?"

"I'm going to the hospital."

"What? Why?"

"I want to see how Hiram is. I need to tell him it wasn't me."

"Virg..."

"Don't stop me, John. I have to. I didn't do anything and I don't want him thinking I was responsible for him getting hurt."

"I get that. But they won't let you in. It's past eight o'clock; visiting hours will be over."

"Oh." Virgil slumped against the wall. He clearly hadn't thought about that.

"Hey, come on." John hated to see his brother looking so defeated. "We'll call the hospital."

Virgil really wanted to do this in person, needing to see for himself that the young man who'd so impressed him with his abilities earlier that morning, was really alright. But he supposed his brother was right. After all, he usually was.

It only took a moment for John to find the number and get through to the hospital. But his attempts to get any information about Hiram were in vain. The hospital refused to tell him anything, the person on the other end of the line informing John - rather patronisingly, the boy thought - that only adult relatives could be given information about patients.

"Well I guess we'll have to wait till morning," he told his brother as he disconnected. "Dad can call and..."

The look of misery on Virgil's face was all it took for John to give in and do something Scott had tried to get him to promise never to do again. _Two days_, he thought to himself, somewhat ruefully. _Even Scott thought I'd manage a week..._

"Come here," he said, settling down on the couch and tapping some buttons on his phone.

"What are you doing?" Virgil asked, taking a seat next to his brother.

"Something I shouldn't..."

Virgil's eyes widened as he watched his brother effortlessly hack into the hospital's database.

"Impressed?" John asked, casting a quick sideways glance at his brother.

"Maybe..." Virgil still wasn't in the mood to break into a smile, but his dark mood seemed to have lifted just a little.

"Here we go," John said. "Hiram Hackenbacker. Oh..."

"What? What's wrong with him?"

"Calm down, Virg. He's fine. But it says he discharged himself ten minutes ago. Against medical advice."

Virgil grabbed the phone and looked at the information there for a moment. Then he shoved it back at John and got up.

"Now where are you going?"

"To his apartment."

John groaned as he realised his brother had been scanning the information for Hiram's personal details. "Virg, he's not going to want visitors if he's just out of hospital."

"But he's not well. You saw what they said. _Against medical advice..._ What if he passes out or something? Dad said he lives alone. His place could burn down or he could-"

_"Virgil!_ Cut the overactive imagination, okay?"

"But it could happen. Couldn't it?"

"Well, yes, but... " John knew when he was beaten. Virgil could be as stubborn as any of the Tracys when he wanted to be. "Alright, let me get my coat."

Virgil finally broke into a smile as his brother wearily trudged into his room, returning a moment later with his jacket. It felt strange to be joining forces with John rather than Scott, especially after the tension there had been between the pair of them lately. He couldn't help feeling bad about the way he'd treated his brother. His father had abandoned him in favour of a woman he hated and for the first time ever, Scott had failed to come running to the rescue, but it felt good to know that John, at least, was on his side.

They sneaked out of a side entrance, then John hailed a cab. The driver didn't seem concerned that his passengers were so young , taking them to an apartment block on a quiet street just five minutes away from the hotel.

"Hiram might not be back yet," John said as they got out. "The hospital's the other side of town."

"We can wait," Virgil said, leading the way through the parking lot. They reached the entrance just as a woman came out, sneaking through before the door could slide shut again.

"Fifth floor," John said, pressing the button for the elevator.

Virgil kicked restlessly at the floor as the elevator moved up.

"You okay?" John asked.

"What if he's mad at me?" Virgil asked, his voice full of uncertainty. "He might be if he thinks I did something."

John tried his best to reassure his brother, but all too soon they reached the fifth floor and the elevator door slid open.

"Come on," the elder brother said, pushing his brother out into the corridor. "This was your idea, remember. Anyway, I don't think Hiram's the type to get mad."

"I hope not," Virgil said, making a visible effort to pull himself together before following his brother to the door of apartment 5b.

John reached up to knock on the door, only to step back in surprise when the door swung open at his touch. He exchanged a worried look with his brother.

"Hiram?" Virgil called. "Hiram, are you okay?"

There was no reply.

John tried, banging hard on the door, but still there was nothing.

"Come on." Virgil moved forward, convinced his fears had been justified.

John reached out to pull him back, deciding that if they were going to find something bad, he should be the one to see it first and so have some chance of shielding Virgil. But neither of them made it into the apartment. One moment they were moving forward side by side, the next they were thrown backwards into the corridor, flying through the air then slamming violently into the wall before landing in a tangled heap on the floor.

The lights dimmed as an electric current buzzed and crackled. But John and Virgil were oblivious to it all.


	5. Chapter 5

_A big thank you for the response to the last chapter. _

Chapter Five

For a moment Virgil thought he was back at Vine Technology and he'd been caught in the explosion. It took him a moment to open his eyes, and when he did manage it he wasn't sure if it was the bang on the head or the blood which was trickling into one eye that was making his vision so blurry. Shaking his head and wiping the blood away with the back of one hand, he finally realised where he was. Though the knowledge that he was in Hiram Hackenbacker's apartment block did nothing to explain what had happened, nor why he was lying on the floor.

A dark figure at the end of the hallway swam into view and he tried to call for help, but whoever it was ignored him as they pulled a door open and dived through with what Virgil, even through the fog in his brain, thought was unnecessary haste.

A groan startled him and then the ground beneath him shifted. Only then did Virgil realise that he was, in fact, lying on his brother.

"Johnny?"

He rolled off him and pulled himself to his knees, reaching out to shake John's shoulder.

_"John!"_

John groaned again and opened his eyes. "Virg? You okay?"

"I think so. What about you?"

With Virgil's help, John managed to sit himself up. "I guess I'll live," he muttered. "What happened? One minute I was walking into the apartment, the next..."

Virgil turned to look at the door to Hiram's apartment, wide open now.

"Do you think Hiram's in there?"

"I don't know. I guess he'd have come out to see what was happening if he was."

"If he could," Virgil said dubiously. "John, do you think whoever blew up his lab did this?"

John buried his face in his hands for a moment. "Maybe. We need to call the police. Get the-"

The soft rumble of the elevator interrupted him and both boys turned their heads just in time to see the door slide open and Hiram step out, looking decidedly the worse for wear, his clothes singed and torn, his face cut and bruised. He paused mid-step at the sight of the two boys, one leaning against the wall, the other on his knees, wiping blood from his forehead with his sleeve.

The Tracy brothers. The last people he wanted - or expected - to see. He'd liked John, but the younger one had all but ignored him that morning, instead lurking at the back of the lab. He'd been told Virgil was most likely responsible for the explosion, the reason why he'd ended up in hospital and why even now, several hours later, he still had a king-sized headache and a throat that burned from all the smoke he'd taken in.

His thought processes must have been unusually slow after the shock of the blast and the injuries he'd suffered, because it took him a few moments to work out exactly why the pair were on the floor, especially given their position in relation to his apartment door. The realisation did nothing to endear Virgil to him.

"W-what have you d-done?" he cried, wincing as the effort made his sore throat sting even more, then moving swiftly to his open door and peering into his apartment before turning to face his two visitors.

"Nothing," Virgil protested, climbing to his feet then putting a hand out to the wall to steady himself as he staggered a little. "The door was open when we got here. We thought something might have happened to you so we went to go inside and then..." He stared at Hiram blankly. He still wasn't sure quite what had happened after that.

From the look Hiram gave him, it was clear the man didn't believe him.

"I swear, we didn't do anything! Tell him, John."

"It's true, Hiram," John said, climbing unsteadily to his feet with Virgil's help. "I know what it looks like, but the door was open. We didn't break in, honestly."

"I didn't touch anything in your lab, either," Virgil told him. "That's why we're here. I wanted to tell you it wasn't my fault. And to make sure you were okay."

John backed his brother up. "Virgil didn't do anything."

"There was a man," Virgil said slowly. "He went down the stairs. Maybe he broke in."

This was news to John. "I didn't see any man, but Virg doesn't tell lies."

"Or cause explosions," Virgil muttered.

Hiram still didn't look convinced, but before he could respond, a shrill voice echoed down the corridor, making all three jump.

_"Mr Hackenbacker!"_

Turning, they saw an elderly woman with a small terrier at her heels emerging from the door to the stairwell.

"M-M-Mrs H-H-Hanlon." Hiram's stutter grew more pronounced and it didn't take an expert in body language to see how intimidated he was by the woman. His shoulders slumped, even as his whole body tensed.

_"What's going on?"_ The woman's voice hadn't dropped in volume, even though she'd already covered half the distance between them. _"Who are these boys?"_

John straightened up as best he could and held out a hand. "John and Virgil Tracy, Ma'am. Pleased to meet you."

Mrs Hanlon ignored his hand as her gaze swept over him, her disapproval clear. Though the look she gave John was positively sunny compared to that which Virgil received. Following her gaze, John could see why. Now his head had stopped spinning he could see that Virgil looked a mess, his hair sticking out in all directions and blood smeared all over his face.

"Hiram, what's going on? Look at the state of you. All three of you. Have you been... _fighting?"_

"N-no, M-Mrs H-Hanlon." Hiram whispered, his voice more hoarse than ever.

She frowned as he began to cough. "Well, it certainly seems as though you've been smoking. You know the rules, Hiram. Article 103 of the residents' code: no smoking in the building."

"I-I-I haven't been s-s-s..."

"You've been warned about bringing any troublemakers here, too," she went on. "I said when you moved in that it was a mistake to allow someone so young into the block. I suppose the man who nearly knocked me over on the stairs was a friend of yours, too."

"I told you there was a-" Instead of finishing his sentence, Virgil just yelped in surprise as Hiram grabbed his arm and shoved him through his door and into the apartment. John could only stare in surprise as Hiram muttered an apology to the woman, then he too was dragged inside.

Hiram slammed the door and leaned against it.

"What was all that about?" John asked. "Who was that woman, anyway?"

"M-Mrs H-Hanlon. The p-president of the r-residents' a-association. I-I don't w-want her in here."

"I don't blame you for that," John said. "But shouldn't she be told about the guy who broke in?"

"Do you believe me now?" Virgil asked. He hadn't shifted an inch from the place where Hiram had left him, still wary of what other booby traps might be lurking in the apartment. "Be careful!" he called out as Hiram moved across the room.

Hiram turned in surprise.

"W-what's w-wrong?"

"There might be some other traps," Virgil told him.

To his surprise Hiram laughed. "I-I s-set that m-myself, V-Virgil. I-it's a s-security device. Quite a-an effective one t-too. I-it's okay, the r-rest of the a-apartment is safe."

Virgil looked at him doubtfully before taking a few steps over to a couch and sinking down, relieved to rest his aching body. John joined him.

"You shouldn't touch anything," he told Hiram who was clearly checking to see if the burglar had made it into his apartment.

Hiram said nothing. He didn't think anything had been disturbed and the fact that the man hadn't been caught out by the pressure pad suggested that he'd only got as far as opening the door before the Tracys had disturbed him. He'd probably run down the corridor and hidden round the corner, making a hasty getaway when he'd seen what had happened to the boys. It definitely wasn't his day, he thought. First the explosion, then he'd apparently been targeted by the same burglar who had already hit two apartments in the block over the past few weeks.

Crossing back to the door he studied the locks in some confusion. There was no indication that they had been forced, though how the man had got the door open was a mystery.

"Hiram?"

He jumped when John reached out to touch his shoulder.

"The police?"

"Oh. N-no, John. I-I don't think h-he got i-inside. There's n-no point b-bothering them. H-he'll be l-long gone, anyway."

"Mrs Hanlon could give them a description," Virgil reminded him. "They might still catch him."

Hiram felt a little bad that he wasn't going to help bring the thief to justice, but the possible consequences of reporting the break-in were just too great. "N-No, Virgil. P-please, l-leave it. I-I don't w-want the p-police involved."

John looked at him in disbelief. "Hiram, your lab blew up this morning-"

"It wasn't me!" Virgil interjected.

John glared at his brother, not welcoming the interruption. "Virg, we know. But something or someone did it, and it's a bit of a coincidence when a few hours later Hiram's apartment gets broken into. Hiram, do you have any enemies?"

Hiram laughed. The idea hadn't even occurred to him. "O-of c-course not. C-coincidences do h-happen, John. There have b-been a l-lot of break-ins around h-here lately. I-I'm sure it's nothing p-personal."

"So why won't you call the police?" John asked.

To his bewilderment, Hiram just shuffled awkwardly before moving across to Virgil and studying the boy intently. "W-we should d-do s-something about that c-cut," he said, before disappearing into the kitchen.

John watched him go before turning to his brother and shrugging helplessly. "Well, we can't force him to call the police," he said. "He's Scott's age; he's a grown man. I just don't get why he's so against the idea."

"We could call them," Virgil said, taking out his phone, only for John to pull it out of his hand.

"John!"

"Think for a minute, Virg. We call the police and they'll want to know why we were here. You think Dad's going to appreciate being dragged out of the restaurant and told what we've been up to? He'll ground us for the rest of our lives."

Virgil considered this for a moment. "It would get him away from_ her,"_ he said sullenly before deciding that even the prospect of ruining Jennifer's evening wasn't enough to compensate for having an enraged Jeff Tracy on his case. No, John was right. The only person who could make the call was Hiram.

John sat down again with a groan.

"You okay?" Virgil asked.

"Yeah. You landed right on top of me. Guess I'm going to have a few bruises. I'm more worried about that cut, though. Dad's going to freak when he sees the state of you. We might be in trouble, yet."

"I-I think I c-can h-help with that." Hiram stood there with a small brown bottle and a cloth. "H-here." He dabbed at the cut. John couldn't help laughing as his normally stoic brother let out a yelp of pain and pulled away.

"S-sorry, V-Virgil. I-I know it s-stings, b-but it's v-very effective."

"What is it?" Virgil asked, gasping and whimpering as Hiram continued his ministrations.

"J-just something I-I developed. I-it will s-seal the c-cut within an hour. Y-you'll barely b-be able to s-see it in the m-morning."

"For real?" Virgil asked, brightening up.

Hiram smiled. "Y-yes. I-I've c-come up with s-several new t-treatments for m-minor injuries. That's w-why I-I discharged m-myself. I-I can treat myself m-more effectively than the h-hospital."

"I didn't know Vine Tech had interests in medicine," John said.

"They d-don't," Hiram told him. "I-I do this i-in my spare t-time."

"Impressive," John said, whilst Virgil let his eyes roam around the room in an attempt to take his mind off the pain.

"Don't you do anything apart from work?" he asked suddenly. "Hiram, this is more like a lab than a living room."

John took in his surroundings for the first time. His brother was right. The walls were a stark white, what little furniture there was, was grey and functional. Much of the space was taken up with bits of machinery and various electronic components, whilst along one side was a workbench covered with test tubes, microscopes and all sorts of other scientific bits and pieces. Finally his gaze settled on something in one corner of the room. There was some colour here at least: large yellow and black symbols which John immediately recognised. Finally he understood why Hiram didn't want Mrs Hanlon or the police anywhere near his apartment.

"Hiram! You've got your own nuclear reactor!"

Hiram flushed. "I-I need the e-extra p-power. D-don't worry, i-it's perfectly safe, j-just not entirely l-legal." He looked from one brother to the other. "I-I'd appreciate it i-if you k-kept quiet a-about it."

"We won't say anything," Virgil assured him. He got up and moved over to one of the pieces of machinery. "So what does this one do?"

An hour later and the Tracys had seen everything. Hiram's voice had finally given out - whether it was from the effects of the smoke or just the fact that he'd never talked for so long, he didn't know. All his initial reservations had quickly disappeared in the face of the enthusiastic responses he'd received from both boys. He'd already taken a liking to John, but he'd found a new friend in Virgil too, promising the boy that he believed him when he said he'd had nothing to do with that morning's explosion.

"So what do you think _did_ happen?" Virgil asked.

"I-I don't know, V-Virgil. M-maybe I-I can get some answers t-tomorrow."

"You're going into work?" John asked. "Hiram, you were hurt, maybe you should take some time off."

Hiram looked positively horrified at the thought. It was only the arrival of the food they'd ordered - Virgil was hungry and Hiram had nothing more than a few cans of soup in his kitchen - that stopped the boys from trying to persuade him to at least take it easy for a couple of days.

John went to the door to get the pizzas. But instead of bringing them straight back in, he set them down and took a good look at the door.

"What's wrong?" Virgil asked, having come over to see why his supper was taking so long.

"I was trying to work out how the guy broke in," John told him. "There's no sign of the lock being forced."

"So what are you thinking?" Virgil asked.

"Maybe someone had a key."

But Hiram insisted that there were no other keys other than the one he held himself, which had been safe in his jacket pocket all day. Whoever the thief was, he clearly knew what he was doing when it came to picking locks. Hiram had just been unlucky to have been chosen as the latest victim. Still, given that the man had witnessed the effectiveness of his security measures, he could pretty much guarantee there wouldn't be a second attempt.

His new friend might have convinced himself that there was nothing to worry about, but John wasn't quite so sure. "Who else knows what you've got in here? I mean, all this stuff must be worth a fortune."

"N-no one," Hiram said.

"But someone must have seen it."

"I-I don't h-have visitors."

John decided that his father hadn't been exaggerating the young man's isolation. It must be a lonely life, he thought. Dull, too, if Hiram came home from work only to start on a different project.

"Is all this for Vine Tech?" he asked.

"N-no," Hiram told him. "Just some e-experiments of m-my own. M-most of it w-would be t-too expensive t-to manufacture."

"It's a bit drastic setting up your own reactor, though, isn't it?" John asked. "If I were you I'd just sneak everything into the lab and work on it in my lunch hour or something."

Hiram looked embarrassed. "I-I did s-something like that. One S-Sunday afternoon. I-it went a little wrong... I-I thought M-Mrs V-Vine w-was going to f-fire me, but R-Roger Sparkes s-spoke up f-for me. S-she made me g-give her my r-research, though. I b-believe that's h-how your f-father came to have an i-interest in the c-company."

So it was Hiram's fault that his father had met Jennifer... Virgil decided it was best not to let that thought take root, and forced himself to turn his mind to other matters. "I liked Mr Sparkes," he said. "He was probably the only one who believed I hadn't done anything."

"H-he's a good man," Hiram said. "H-he helped me s-set up the r-reactor in here. S-so I wouldn't be t-tempted to use V-Vine Tech facilities again."

"How come you're working there?" Virgil asked. "It's only a small company; you're far too good for them. Come and work for our dad. He's got to be a better boss than that woman."

Hiram looked quite panicked at the prospect, explaining how he'd been given the job by the late Mr Vine, a close friend of his guardian. The man was lecturing at Yale and though Hiram would have liked to have gone with him, he'd been advised to get some experience of life out in the real world. After all, he already had several degrees, it was surely time to put them to good use. It was only supposed to be for a year, but then his guardian had suffered a heart attack and died, completely unexpectedly. Grieving for his loss and with no idea what to do with himself, Hiram had taken refuge in his work. He was settled now and, although he didn't particularly like Jennifer Vine, he'd found a good friend in Roger Sparkes. He had no great desire to uproot himself and put himself through the trauma of starting a new life elsewhere.

Seeing his discomfort, John changed the subject, asking Hiram more about his work. Soon he was sitting at a desk, engrossed in some computer program. Virgil flicked through a notepad that Hiram had given him. It was full of his ideas for machines and vehicles, some more practical than others. The boy was impressed by the concepts, but not by their appearance and, with Hiram's agreement, he spent some time making a few aesthetic changes. Hiram had had to admit that the purely functional designs now looked a whole lot more appealing. He'd even laughed when he'd seen Virgil's wicked caricature of Mrs Hanlon riding the hovercraft/bicycle he was currently developing.

Virgil was feeling a whole lot better. Hiram had clearly accepted his innocence and the evening's events had worked wonders in taking his mind off his recent woes. He still missed his brother, but he had to admit he was glad he'd had John with him this evening, not Scott. His level-headed eldest brother would never have allowed him to leave the hotel. John wasn't so bad, after all, he thought, and he suddenly felt terrible about the way he'd treated his brother these past few weeks.

His head had stopped hurting too, and Hiram had been right - the cut was healing rapidly. His father would never know what had happened. At least, Virgil hoped he wouldn't...

"John?"

"Mm? What, Virg?"

"How long is that going to take?"

"Half an hour or so. Go to sleep if you're tired."

"It's not that. I'm just worried that Dad might come back early. If he finds us gone..."

That got John's attention and he disengaged himself from the computer screen long enough to find his phone. A few taps later and he smiled.

"It's okay. He's still at the restaurant. Here, keep an eye on him. If he starts moving, let me know. He's got further to travel than we have. We can beat him back to the hotel and he'll never know we were gone."

Virgil grabbed the phone, an expression of utter incredulity on his face. "_John! _You bugged Dad!"

"Well, not exactly," John told him. "I don't listen to his calls, if that's what you're thinking - though I could if I wanted to. I just track his movements via his phone. It comes in useful sometimes."

"So that's how you never get caught doing anything wrong," Virgil said. "You know when Dad's coming so you can hide the evidence."

John couldn't hide a smile, but before he could say any more, his brother let out a cry. "You've got all of us in here. Why do you want to check up on us?"

John shrugged. For a moment it seemed that he wasn't going to answer, but Virgil's furious expression told him he wouldn't get away without an explanation. "I like to know where you kids are. Just in case you get yourselves into trouble. Especially you."

Virgil stared at him for a moment. John met his gaze, but said nothing.

Hiram, suddenly aware of the tension in the room, stopped what he was doing and looked over at the brothers. He was as surprised as John when Virgil winked at him before suddenly throwing his arms around his brother.

"Thanks, Johnny. I'm sorry I've been such a brat to you."

"Yeah, well... Get off me, Virg." John awkwardly pushed his brother away.

"You can't fool me," Virgil told him with a grin, settling himself back on the couch with the phone. "You do care, you know you do."

"Self-preservation more like," John told him. "Scott would kill me if anything happened to you."

"Hey, you can check up on Scott, make sure he's okay." Virgil practically threw the phone back at his brother.

John was about to remind Virgil how annoyed he'd been at the invasion of his own privacy, but he couldn't help but admit to a certain amount of curiosity as to how his eldest brother was getting along, so he took the phone and pulled up the coordinates of Scott's location.

"He's fine," he told Virgil. "He's in the accommodation block."

"That's okay, then," Virgil said happily, taking the phone and settling back down.

John turned back to his computer with a smile. Scott was in the accommodation block alright, but in the girls' wing. His thirteen-year-old brother didn't need to know that, though. John couldn't fault Scott for the start he'd apparently made to college life - and he suddenly felt grateful to his father for making him wait until he was old enough to fully enjoy the experience before allowing him to leave for college. He guessed that Hiram, for all his qualifications, hadn't had a whole lot of fun whilst he was getting them.

Virgil reached for yet another slice of pizza. But before he could take a bite he paused and grinned.

"Hey, we should all have code names. Dad can be Cinderella, 'cos he said he'd be home by midnight."

"I think we're the ones who need to worry about that," John muttered. "Leave that phone alone, Virg. Don't you dare change anything on there."

But Virgil wasn't to be deterred. "No, John. It'll be good. Hiram, you can be... Brains! Since you're the most intelligent one here." This last comment was accompanied by a pointed stare at his brother.

John sighed, though he couldn't help feeling pleased that Virgil finally seemed to be cheering up. "Okay, have it your own way... Brat."

Virgil just stuck his tongue out at his brother. "Bighead... Bully... Geek... I don't know, John. Nothing seems quite right for you. Brains, what do you think?"

Hiram blinked nervously, not quite sure how to take this. John, realising his discomfort, came to his rescue. "Do you have any brothers, Hiram?" he asked.

"N-no."

"You're lucky," John told him.

"_Some_ brothers are nice," was Virgil's response.

"Yeah. Older brothers."

"Old-_est _brothers."

"Shut up, Virg."

The brothers grinned at each other before turning back to their original tasks.

Hiram found himself baffled by the pair. He'd enjoyed the evening - it had been an unexpectedly good end to an otherwise disastrous day - but now he just felt exhausted. It was a relief when he could finally wave goodbye to the boys as they made their way towards the elevator, a taxi waiting downstairs to whisk them back to the hotel. Shutting the door, making sure to lock it and reset the pressure pads, he looked around at his room. Maybe it was a little stark, he thought. He'd have to seek Virgil's advice on a some colour to liven things up. Then he smiled and shook his head. The Tracy brothers, along with their father would be leaving town the following afternoon. He probably wouldn't see them again.

Not for the first time he wondered if he'd done the right thing in rejecting Jeff Tracy's offer of a job.

* * *

In the taxi, John checked his phone before announcing that their father was finally leaving. They'd be safely in bed by the time he returned to the hotel.

"I'll have a little time to do some research before he gets in," he said.

"Research on what?"

"I don't believe in coincidences, Virg."

Virgil, who had been half-asleep, sat up straight again. "You think the burglary and the explosion are connected?"

"I don't know. I just can't help thinking something's not right."

"Brains doesn't think so. If anyone should be worried, it's him."

"He's not as cynical as I am," John told his brother. "And don't call him that."

"He doesn't mind."

"He wouldn't tell you if he did. But that's what I mean. He's too nice. There's something quite... innocent about him."

Virgil considered this for a moment. "Okay. But who'd want to hurt him?"

"Maybe they didn't want to hurt him. Maybe they wanted his inventions. They've got to be worth a fortune."

"Jennifer!" Virgil cried out, making the taxi driver jump.

"Why her?" John asked. "I know you don't like her - neither do I - but she's loaded."

"Only because of her company," Virgil said. "You heard what Brains said. She forced him to give up his last invention."

"_Hiram_ was using her company's facilities to test it," John reminded him. "There's probably something in his contract to say that anything he does in work belongs to Vine Tech. I know Dad's guys have something like that in theirs. I don't, know, Virg. I'd love it to be her, but I can't see her being able to blow up a lab. She wouldn't know enough. And why risk getting on the wrong side of Dad by blaming you?"

Virgil fell silent. He really wanted it to be Jennifer, he just couldn't see a way past his brother's reasoning.

"Who else is there?" he asked.

John was quiet for a moment. Then he murmured, "Roger Sparkes."

"No!" Virgil was quite indignant.

"I know you like him. I do, too. But think about it, Virg. He knows all about Hiram's work, he even helped him set things up in his apartment. Plus he was in the lab before it blew."

"But why? Why cause an explosion? It doesn't make sense."

"I don't know. Like I said, I'll do some digging. Maybe I'll find something."

"I'm still betting it's Jennifer," Virgil said. "Say, do you think Brains will be okay tonight?"

John considered this before reassuring his anxious brother. "He's got good security, we know that for sure. I don't think anyone would risk three attempts in one day, anyway. Two might well be explained as a coincidence, but three... No, Virg, he'll be fine."

"We should tell Dad."

"What? That we've been roaming the streets late at night and you think his girlfriend's a psycho? Let's get some evidence first."

"Guess you're right. Let's call Scott."

John was fairly certain his brother wouldn't want to be disturbed. "And get him all worried? No, let's show him we can handle this by ourselves."

Reluctantly, Virgil agreed.

Then, as the taxi pulled up at the hotel, they turned their attention to the most important matter - sneaking back in without anyone spotting them.


	6. Chapter 6

_I'm so sorry this chapter is late. Real life decided to get in the way last week, then the first version of this didn't quite work, so I've been doing a lot of rewriting and editing. Don't think I've ever had such a troublesome chapter. I have to say a huge thank you to Loopstagirl for all the help with this one._

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially Whirlgirl, who I can't reply to in person - I really appreciate it. Bee_

Chapter Six

As they'd hoped, their years of experience in sneaking around their house, hiding from brothers, grandmothers and fathers, paid off and the two boys were able to dive into an empty elevator and get the door closed before the night porter had the chance to look up from the newspaper he was reading. Two minutes later they were in their suite and saying goodnight, Virgil more than ready for his bed, whilst John was itching to start investigating their two suspects.

"Hang on a minute," Virgil said, surveying the sitting room. "This isn't going to work."

"Huh?" John had no idea what his brother meant.

"This place is too tidy. Dad's never going to believe we've been here all evening."

John was forced to agree. He and Virgil were probably the least destructive of the five boys, but even so, if they'd been left in a room for several hours, the evidence was always going to be there. Glancing at his phone he turned back to his brother. "I reckon we've got about ten minutes until Dad gets back."

"Come on, then." Virgil considered the room for a moment before grinning wickedly and making a beeline for the fridge. Two minutes later he'd poured away the contents of the cans, ditching all but one in the wastebin. The final one he left on the table, next to a couple of chocolate wrappers. The chocolate itself, being too precious to go to waste, was divided between himself and his brother, both deciding that the safest way to dispose of it was to eat it as quickly as possible.

Cushions were hurriedly jumped on to make it seem as though someone had been lounging on them for the past few hours, then John placed a couple of open books on the floor whilst Virgil arranged a sketchpad and pencils on the table, hastily scribbling on a couple of pages before tearing them out, crumpling them up and tossing them in the general direction of the bin.

John's phone beeped and he whistled to his brother who was artfully scuffing at the rug beside the fridge to make it look as though it had been walked across several times. "Time's up, Virg!" he hissed. "It looks fine. Good thinking."

A smile of delight lit up Virgil's face. Praise from John was rare, so when it came it had to be savoured. He'd enjoyed himself tonight. Okay, so he might not be as devious as his brother, but he had his moments. They made a good team, he decided. Saying goodnight and shutting his door, he moved across to the mirror, inspecting the damage to his face. Brains - John might insist he remain 'Hiram' but Virgil thought his nickname suited him better - had been right: the cut was practically healed already, only a red line still visible. There was just the faintest of bruises, but you had to look carefully to see it. It looked as though he was going to get away with it.

Quickly, he got changed, making sure to hide his blood-spattered shirt at the bottom of his bag, then scrambled into bed. Only just in time - as he turned out the light he heard the door to the suite open. A minute later his father was in his room checking up on him and he lay as still as he could, almost buried beneath the covers, barely daring to breathe until the man had left the room. Listening hard, he heard John's door open and endured a tense wait until it closed again a minute later. His father was clearly satisfied that all was well, since seconds later he heard the sound of his bedroom door closing.

They'd done it! But before he could fully appreciate his and John's achievement, the tiredness he'd been struggling with for the last hour caught up with him and he barely had time to wonder if John was making any progress with his investigations before he drifted off into sleep.

John had fully intended to start his research once he knew his father was safely out of the way, but he, too, was exhausted from the stresses of the day and although he'd only pretended to be sleeping when his father had come in to see him, by the time the man left, John really was fast asleep.

* * *

It was early the next morning - he had to be at Vine Technology for an 8am meeting - when Jeff banged on John's door, wanting to spend a little time with his sons before leaving them to their own devices for the day. Satisfied with the grunt he received in response, he turned his attention to Virgil. No mere rapping on the door would be enough here, he knew. The hotel room might well be unfamiliar but that wouldn't have stopped his middle son from falling fast asleep within minutes, and Jeff knew he'd stay that way until he was forcibly woken up. Flinging the door open, he strode in. As he'd expected, Virgil was dead to the world, only the top of his head visible under the covers. Reaching out, he shook his son's shoulder, calling out to him that it was time to get up. As always, Virgil just tried to wriggle further down in the bed, but Jeff was equal to the task, pulling the covers away and alternately shouting and shaking until his son finally admitted defeat and rolled over to face him.

"About time," Jeff said, moving to the curtains to pull them open. "That's one chore Scott's not going to miss. I think I'll let Gordon do the honours from now on."

He turned to his son with a smile, knowing Virgil would be full of protests at this announcement - at least once his brain managed to finally process his words. Then the smile died and he darted back to the bed, gripping Virgil firmly by the shoulders as he stared into his son's bewildered face, his own expression one of fury as he bellowed,

"John Tracy, get in here now!"

A panicked John crashed through the door almost immediately. He'd been in the process of getting dressed, his T-shirt clutched in his hand.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Then he saw Virgil's face. The faint bruise that he'd thought would remain unnoticeable had developed into something quite spectacular overnight. "Oh..."

"John..." Virgil was staring back at him, his expression one of horror. John followed his brother's gaze, realising that the impressive array of bruises on his chest and stomach were on full display for his father.

Jeff had seen them too and was clearly trying not to lose it as he got up from Virgil's bed and looked from one to the other of his sons in a mixture of amazement and rage. But his attempt to keep his temper didn't work for long and both boys flinched as he finally exploded.

"What the hell went on here last night?" he yelled. "You boys promised me you were going to behave. Did you have a fight? Who started it?"

John and Virgil stared at their father, then at each other, neither able to say a word.

"You'd better start talking," Jeff told them. "I want to know why my sons felt the need to get into a brawl and why it got so out of hand. Just look at the pair of you. I've never seen anything like it."

"No, Dad. We didn't-"

John knew Virgil was going to tell his father the truth - his younger brother hated to be in trouble. John wasn't so concerned - it wouldn't be the first or the last time. But the truth might lead to serious consequences for Hiram as well as for the boys, and there was no way his father would believe Jennifer could be involved. He might even tell her of their suspicions, so allowing her to get rid of any evidence before they could find it.

"Shut it, Virg!" He shook his head at his brother before turning back to his father, an expression of the utmost contrition on his face. "Dad, I'm sorry. We let you down. Virg was playing his music too loud, I was trying to read... I guess we were both missing Scott and without him to calm things down it all got out of hand. Virg hit me first, though," he said quickly - he might not mind lying to his father or being on the receiving end of his wrath, but there were limits as to what he was prepared to take the blame for. Beating up his younger brother was too far over the line.

"Is this true?" Jeff turned to Virgil.

Virgil couldn't look at his father as he hesitantly confirmed his brother's story. He really wanted to confide in his father but after last night he'd found a new respect for his older brother and he didn't want to break that bond. He could guess John's thought processes too. Though how they were going to do anything to help Brains now, when their father was likely to put them on the first bus, plane or train that was heading even vaguely in the direction of Kansas, he didn't know.

"Get dressed, both of you!" Jeff said sharply. "I'm ordering room service. There's no way I'm embarrassing myself by taking the pair of you down to the restaurant. You can forget about your day in the city, too. You're coming with me. Believe me, boys, if I didn't have this meeting today I'd be taking you straight home."

John tried to linger in order to speak to his brother, but his father pulled him from the room and pushed him into his own. "I can't believe you!" he snapped, before storming into his own room and slamming the door.

After a plain breakfast of cereal and toast - Jeff's displeasure showing in the curt order he'd sent down to the kitchen - the boys endured a tense ride down to the car in the elevator. Their father's face was still cold and hard and John's tentative efforts to convince him that the 'fight' had actually been a good thing and that it had cleared the air between them did nothing to pacify him. Even when Virgil backed him up, telling his father that they'd worked everything out and were on good terms once again, Jeff refused to accept that they could be trusted to be allowed out alone, telling them once again that they would be spending the day in the lobby of Vine Technology, where the staff would have strict instructions to keep a close eye on the pair of them.

Jeff's anger hadn't abated by the time they arrived at the offices. He led the brothers to a sofa not far from the reception desk and, with a final reminder that they should behave themselves - or else - disappeared into the depths of the building for yet more discussions with Jennifer about the takeover. The boys hardly dared move at first. The receptionist might have looked as if she was only there for decoration, but she turned out to be a sharp-eyed, humourless woman who would fix the pair with a steely gaze every few minutes, only gradually relaxing when it turned out that they were doing nothing of any concern. With nothing else to do, Virgil put his earphones in and was soon oblivious to all the comings and goings in the lobby as his fingers moved over an invisible piano, whilst John busied himself in investigating Jennifer. His phone was linked to his powerful computer back in Kansas and he made full use of the technology at his disposal.

"Hey, Virg." It was half an hour later when John nudged his brother in the ribs.

"Ow!" Virgil pulled one earphone out and glared at his brother. "What?"

"I've found a few things out about Jennifer." John deliberately kept his voice low in case the receptionist's ears were as sharp as her eyes.

"Oh. Anything interesting?"

"Well, I guess I've got a better idea of the kind of person she is, but nothing that's going to help with our little problem."

It seemed Jennifer Vine had started her career as a personal assistant before making a play for her married boss. Her clear determination to get her man didn't make either boy feel any happier about her intentions regarding their father. The local press had given her a hard time, having favoured the first Mrs Vine who, although lacking the glamour of the woman who had replaced her in Jeremy Vine's affections, had been a stalwart of the local community, doing more than her bit for charity. There had been a further flurry of news reports when her husband had died, many speculating about just how much she'd inherited. John had discovered the answer to that, too - Virgil had been as impressed as he'd been horrified when he'd discovered that his brother had refined his hacking abilities to the point where not even the tightest security systems of a national bank could stop him.

"She's worth millions," John told him. "She doesn't want Dad's money. She just wants him."

Virgil sighed. He knew it had been a long shot, but he'd desperately wanted it to be her, if only to put an end to her budding relationship with his father. But there seemed to be no reason why Jennifer Vine would be behind the explosion in the lab, nor any motive for her to break into Hiram's apartment, not when either action would alienate the man she was trying to ensnare.

There was another reason he wanted it to be Jennifer, of course. If it wasn't her, that left Roger Sparkes, and Virgil really didn't want him to be guilty.

"How are you boys getting on?"

It was the man himself, and Virgil hoped he wasn't blushing as he looked up at him.

"Your father told me you were in disgrace," Roger said, smiling at the pair. "I promised him I'd check up on you. Seems like you're not causing any trouble, though. Here." He pulled a couple of chocolate bars out of the pocket of his lab coat and whispered, "Don't tell your father."

"Thanks." Both John and Virgil were grateful for the snack, especially given their meagre breakfast.

"That's not all," Roger smiled. "I've got some news I think might cheer you up, Virgil."

"You have?"

"Yes. We've had the preliminary report from the accident investigation team. They believe the equipment which blew up was faulty. A wire had come loose and the thing short-circuited. It could have happened at any time. You're off the hook."

"Really?"

Roger couldn't help laughing at the boy's obvious delight. "Really. You know, you were lucky. If it had gone up when you were in that part of the lab you'd have been seriously injured at the very least. Me too."

It was a sobering thought. Roger was quiet for a moment before shaking his head. "Well, we can't dwell on what might have been. Let's be thankful it wasn't any worse. Hiram's going to be fine and the lab can be rebuilt. You never know, Virgil, Mrs Vine might even apologise to you. I'm just off to tell her now. I'm sure your father will be pleased."

With a wink, he walked back towards his office.

"Well," said John slowly. "I didn't expect that. Maybe we were wrong and the break-in was just a coincidence."

"Thought you didn't believe in coincidences," Virgil said, though he was more than pleased that the man he liked so much was innocent. He pulled out his phone. "Wait till I tell Scott."

John sat back and considered the situation, only half listening to the voicemail message Virgil was leaving their brother. Of all the scenarios he'd envisaged, none of them involved the explosion being a simple accident. If the most sinister event had been explained, then it surely made sense to accept Hiram's explanation of the attempted burglary as just one in a series of break-ins: nothing personal, nothing that was likely to happen again, especially now the would-be-thief had seen what Hiram's security system could do.

He sighed. He'd been enjoying himself. It made a change to have a valid reason to do a little hacking. He felt bad as he glanced back at his phone and realised that he'd just that moment gained access to Roger Sparkes' bank records. He, too, was glad the man was in the clear. He wasn't even going to look at the information he'd uncovered, but as he went to close the page, the amount of red there caught his eye and he whistled as he registered the extent of the debt the man had built up.

"What's wrong?" Virgil asked.

"Nothing," John said. Roger Sparkes didn't need anyone else knowing about the trouble he'd got himself into. It was just as well that they'd been told the lab explosion was an accident, he thought, otherwise the man would have just made himself a prime suspect.

Shaking himself, John got rid of the page. It was none of his business - and however curious he was, he wasn't going to make any attempt to find out more.

The trouble was that he didn't have anything else to do. Virgil was lost in his music again and John realised that in all the fuss that morning, he'd forgotten to pick up a book. He'd never really liked reading on his phone - although he was a big fan of technology, John was surprisingly old-fashioned when it came to reading. Nothing could beat the feel or the smell of a real book in his opinion. Even so, he tried to resist the temptation to go back into Roger Sparkes' bank account. But it was too much, and with a half-hearted attempt to convince himself that he'd be doing the man a favour since he might be in some kind of trouble which his father could help with, John called up the information once again.

Two account numbers cropped up fairly regularly, both of which had received large sums of money at various intervals over the past year. Then there were all the cash withdrawals - often several thousand dollars at a time. Roger's salary didn't even begin to cover all of that and even though he'd recently remortgaged his home, he was still deep in debt.

John soon found out exactly what the man's problem was. One of the accounts into which Roger had paid several thousand dollars belonged to a local casino, whilst the other - and this one took a bit more digging to uncover - belonged to a man who seemed to be notorious in the town as a loan shark with various not-quite-legal methods of persuasion at his disposal for those clients who seemed likely to default. John's heart sank as he realised that Roger Sparkes was far from the man he'd believed him to be.

He glanced across at his brother, glad that Virgil at least wouldn't be disillusioned. This was something he would keep to himself. He wouldn't be telling his father, either. The man would happily have helped out someone in need, but John didn't think he'd be willing to fund a gambling addiction.

"Hey, there's Brains!"

Virgil's exclamation jarred him out of his reverie and John looked towards the door. Muttering, "Don't call him that!" he got up as Hiram came into the building, glad to be distracted from the subject of Roger Sparkes.

"Brains!" Virgil ignored his brother, waving at his new friend.

Hiram didn't seem to mind his new name, coming over to them and smiling warmly. "H-hello, Virgil. J-John."

"You made it in, then," John said.

"Y-yes. I-I'm perfectly f-fit. N-no more b-burglars or ex-explosions."

"It wasn't me!" Virgil broke in.

"I b-believe you, V-Virgil."

"No, it really wasn't me." Virgil told him what Roger had said.

"That's g-good n-news."

"It is." John studied his new friend. He looked terrible, his face even more bruised than it had been the night before.

"Hey," he said, suddenly. "Did you use the same stuff you used on Virg?"

Hiram shrugged sheepishly, bending a little to examine the younger boy. "A-ah, y-yes. An i-interesting side-effect. The c-cut heals but it seems to b-bring out the b-bruising."

"Dad went mad," Virgil told him. "That's why Johnny and I are stuck here instead of exploring the town. We had to let him think we'd had a fight otherwise he'd have found out what we were up to last night. Didn't you know this would happen?"

"N-no," Hiram told him. "I-I've only h-had minor c-cuts to e-experiment on until n-now. I-I have to a-admit I had a b-bit of a shock when I-I looked in the m-mirror. D-do you want m-me to speak to your f-father?"

He looked quite terrified at the prospect and John and Virgil were quick to reassure him that it was the last thing they wanted.

"Bye, Brains," John said, as the man began to move away. "See you-" He broke off as he realised both Hiram and Virgil were laughing at him, then realised that he'd used the very nickname he'd been telling Virgil off about. His brother's constant use of it must have rubbed off on him, he thought, as he apologised to Hiram.

"I-I d-don't mind," the man assured him. "I-I don't like 'H-Hiram' very much and i-it's nice to h-have a n-nickname that isn't m-mean." He glanced across at the reception desk as he said this, his gaze settling on a young man in a lab coat who was picking up a parcel and apparently flirting with the receptionist.

"Who's that?" Virgil asked, guessing from Hiram's pensive expression that this was one of the people who had a less than affectionate name for him.

"L-Leon S-Sparkes," Hiram told him.

"Roger's son?" John asked, looking across at the man, who at that moment turned away from the receptionist, only to realise that there were three people staring at him. He looked uncertain for a moment, flushing a bright red before grabbing his package, turning away and practically running for the door.

Virgil laughed. "Looks like we scared him off. If he does anything to you, just remind him that our dad's buying the company. We'll look after you, Brains."

Hiram smiled. "Th-thank you, V-Virgil. B-but that might n-not be n-necessary. W-we've never got along too w-well, but yesterday h-he actually came to the h-hospital to check I w-was alright."

"He did?"

"Y-yes. H-he brought m-my things along."

John stared at him, remembering something Hiram had said the previous evening . "Your things?" he asked. "Like your jacket?"

"Y-yes. M-my ph-phone, too. Although that was d-damaged in the b-blast."

"Tell me more about him," John demanded.

Hiram blinked in surprise at the sharpness in the boy's tone, but he obediently told him how Roger had given his son a job when he'd had difficulty holding down work anywhere else. Even at Vine Technology he'd come close to being fired, but Roger had saved him every time, though he was barely adequate in his role as a lab assistant, often arriving late and leaving early.

"R-Roger worries about h-him," Hiram said. "H-he keeps b-bad company and I-I know he g-gambles."

"I guess his dad helps him out, then?" John was careful to keep the excitement he felt out of his voice.

"I-I b-believe so," Hiram said. He looked a little uncomfortable at discussing his friend's private life, getting to his feet and murmuring something about needing to inspect the damage to his lab, before heading into the depths of the company building.

"What's going on?" Virgil asked, and John realised his brother was staring at him.

"You've got that look," Virgil went on. "The one that says you're up to something. Or that you're about to do something really clever. They're actually the same."

"Yeah, well... " John thought for a moment then decided to do just a little more investigating before troubling his brother. Brushing the question away with an airy insistence that he was just working on some school project - something pretty much guaranteed to make Virgil lose interest - he busied himself with his phone once again.

It only took ten minutes to discover that Leon Sparkes had a criminal record for breaking and entering. He'd even adopted the same method that John suspected he'd used to gain access to Hiram's apartment: sneaking someone's key and making a copy, then replacing the original before the owner knew it was missing. He'd had the perfect opportunity when he'd brought Hiram's things to the hospital - Hiram had mentioned the night before that he kept his keys in his pocket. It had clearly never occurred to the young man that Leon Sparkes, however dissolute and unpleasant he might be, might also be a crook.

But it was all speculation. Leon Sparkes' bank account was actually in far better shape than his father's - so much so that John had to wonder if he was spinning the man a tale about his debts half the time and pocketing the money he'd been given to pay them off. The cash payments into the account certainly tallied with the withdrawals from his father's. Not a nice man, John thought - and clearly the complete opposite to his father. But how was he going to prove that he'd tried to break into Hiram's apartment? And why would he do it? Did he know about the work Hiram did there? His father certainly did, and he could have told his son all about it. Working for Vine Technology, Leon would have seen at first hand how valuable such inventions could be. Maybe he planned to sell them to some rival company.

It all made sense, but John couldn't just come out and accuse him, not without some hard evidence...

"Virg?"

"Yeah?"

"Do me a favour?"

"What?"

John pulled up an app on his phone then handed the device to his brother.

"Draw Roger Sparkes' son."

Virgil stared at his brother. "Why?"

"Humour me."

Virgil still refused to take the phone. "Tell me why."

John sighed. "If Scott asked you to do it you wouldn't argue. Please, Virg. For me. I went to Hiram's place with you last night, remember? Call it payback for helping you out."

Virgil didn't look convinced but he took the phone. "I hate drawing on this thing," he grumbled. "It's not art, you know."

"I know, John said wearily. He'd heard it all before. As soon as the image was recognisable as Leon Sparkes he grabbed the phone. "That'll do. Thanks, Virg."

"It's crap," Virgil said sulkily, trying to pull the phone away from his brother and earning himself a smack round the head for his trouble.

"Behave!" John snarled, before fixing the receptionist with his most winning smile as she stared icily at the pair, her hand reaching out for the phone, presumably about to call their father.

"There's no problem, Ma'am," he said, then muttered a command to his brother to stay right where he was.

Heading across to the video-phone in the corner of the lobby, John used his own phone to find a number. Mentally crossing his fingers in the hope that the person would be in, he waited anxiously for an answer. He was just about to give up when a sharp voice said,

"Ada Hanlon."

John wasn't that much of a talker, but he had his moments - usually when there was something he really wanted and there was no other way to get it. He'd certainly never exercised his communication skills as well as he did over the next five minutes. His father had insisted he call, John told her, knowing full well that the name Tracy carried a fair amount of weight, even with elderly ladies whose main pleasure in life was nosing into their neighbours' business. First of all, he apologised for all the aggravation they'd caused her, promising her that Hiram was devastated to have upset her, having the utmost respect for the work she did for the residents' association. They hadn't wanted to worry her by telling her about the mugger who'd attacked the boys outside the apartment block, especially since he had been chased away by another man, one who'd escorted the boys up to Hiram's apartment then left before John could get his name.

"My dad really wants to get in touch with him to thank him," John told her. "But all we've got to go on is a drawing my brother did. Virg is a great artist, but he was a bit dazed at the time and he's not quite sure he's got the likeness right. I wondered if you could have a look and see if it looks like the man you saw."

Mrs Hanlon was more than happy to do so, taking a long, hard look at the drawing John held up to the vid-phone before agreeing that yes, that was indeed the good Samaritan who had helped the Tracy boys.

So that was that, John thought as he put the phone down. He'd identified the burglar.

Now he just had to work out what to do with that knowledge.


	7. Chapter 7

_Another apology for being late in posting. Real life got in the way again. Thank you to everyone who responded to the last chapter. Whirlgirl and Guest, I can't reply personally, but I really do appreciate the feedback._

Chapter Seven

If John had hoped to have time to think things through in peace for a while, he was quickly disappointed. Turning away from the video-phone he saw Virgil watching him through narrowed eyes and he knew that his brother wouldn't leave him alone until he knew what was going on.

But it turned out that John didn't need to explain - Virgil had worked it out for himself.

"It was him, wasn't it?" he said, just a little too loudly, as John sat down beside him. "Mr Sparkes' son."

"Hush!" John hissed back. He'd seen how friendly the receptionist had been to Leon. The last thing he wanted was for her to find out what was going on and tip the man off.

"But it was!" Virgil insisted, thankfully more quietly, this time. "You showed that picture to someone. Who...? Oh! That woman at Brains' apartment block. She recognised him."

"You got it."

"But why? Did he want Brains' inventions?"

"Looks like it." John told his brother what he'd discovered.

"Come on, then!" Virgil jumped to his feet.

"Where do you think you're going?" John asked, remaining right where he was.

"To... Er..." Virgil sank back down onto the couch.

"See," John said. "Not that straightforward, is it? If we have to admit how we found out I'll be in trouble for hacking into those accounts. Sure, Mrs Hanlon can identify Leon Sparkes, but I'd have to explain why I lied about him. The police will want to know what Brains had that was worth stealing. He won't be able to keep them out of his apartment and he'll end up being evicted - if not arrested - for having a reactor unit in his living room."

"But we have to do something!" Virgil pulled out his phone. "Scott could-"

"Could what?"

Virgil ignored his brother, though John knew by the way his face fell that Scott was still not answering his phone. Virgil seemed to hesitate at the invitation to leave a message, clearly debating whether or not to confess all that he and John had been up to. Catching John's eye and registering the gentle shake of the head his brother offered him, Virgil slumped back in his seat, muttering a sullen, "Call me, Scott. If you can find the time..." before ending the call.

"Virg..."

"I know. He can't solve our problems any more. What about Dad?"

"He'll kill me, Virg. You too, probably."

"Guess you're right."

They sat in silence for a while. The obvious answer was to speak to Roger Sparkes, but neither brother wanted to be the one to break the news that the son he was clearly trying so hard to help, was back to his old crooked ways. Suspicious as always, John couldn't help wondering if the man was actually in on it - after all, he was clearly in need of money, although it seemed that, unless he was a gambler himself, every penny he'd had he'd used to help his son. Or - and maybe this was an even worse scenario - Leon Sparkes could have caused the explosion himself. As a lab assistant he'd surely have the necessary knowledge. At best it would have been a means to get Brains out of the way so he could break in, at worst... well, Roger Sparkes himself had commented on the fact that if the explosion had happened a few minutes earlier, he'd have been seriously injured, if not killed. Presumably he had life insurance and, with his wife dead, his son would be the likely beneficiary. For a moment John wondered if Virgil had had the right idea after all. There was no way a fifteen-year-old could make these decisions. Maybe it was time to get an adult involved...

But Virgil had been thinking too. "John?"

"What?"

"Leon Sparkes ran off when he saw us looking at him. He must have recognised us from last night."

"Yeah. Pity we didn't see him. Would have saved us a lot of trouble."

"But we could pretend we did! I could say I recognised him from the back. The way he ran through that door reminded me of the way the thief moved, so I drew a picture and you called Mrs Hanlon..."

"That makes sense," John said. "Good thinking, Virg!"

Virgil looked pleased. "See, you're not the only clever one. So now what? The police?"

John thought for a moment. "It gets me off the hook as far as the hacking goes, but there's still the problem of Dad finding out about us getting out of the hotel last night. I don't know. I think Brains needs to have a say in this." He got to his feet. "I need a diversion, Virg."

"What?"

"Keep the receptionist busy."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Like you said, you're clever. You'll think of something."

Leaving his brother to stare after him, John headed towards the doors which led into the main part of the building, informing the woman at the desk that he was off to the bathroom. To his relief she just nodded at him and activated the code that would let him through.

John glanced through the glass panels and smiled as Virgil made his way to the reception desk and began to talk to the woman. As soon as she was distracted, he turned and darted quickly back down the corridor, hoping he could remember the way to the lab. He just hoped his target was still there - if he'd finished assessing the damage and taken himself off somewhere else to work, John was going to be in trouble.

Luck was on his side and Brains - John had given up trying to think of him as 'Hiram' - was, indeed, in his old lab. Coughing a little as the acrid air hit his lungs, John made his way in.

"Hey, Brains."

"H-hello, J-John. C-come to inspect the d-damage?"

"Not really. Brains, Virg and I know who tried to break in to your apartment."

Brains looked surprised. "Y-you do?"

"Yes." John hoisted himself up onto a charred workbench and launched into a censored account of how he'd identified Leon Sparkes. He liked and trusted Brains, but he was still wary of revealing his skills at this early stage in their friendship. Instead, he went with Virgil's suggestion, knowing that Mrs Hanlon's identification would be the most important thing.

"I-I s-see," Brains said slowly when John had finished.

"I thought you should be the one to decide what to do," John told him. "I mean, you might be in trouble if they want to poke around your apartment to see what you had that was worth stealing. Then there's Mr Sparkes. He's a friend of yours, I know."

"Y-yes. This w-will be h-hard for him to h-hear."

"What are you going to do?"

"I-I need to talk to R-Roger."

"Do you think that's wise?" John couldn't help sharing his suspicions about the man, half-expecting Brains to immediately laugh them off. But the young man considered them carefully for a while before stating quite emphatically that he couldn't believe a man like Roger Sparkes would be involved in anything so underhand.

"Well, you know him better than I do," John said slowly. "But what about Leon? If he did cause the explosion..." He didn't outline his suspicions as to the man's motives. Brains was an intelligent man, he could work it out for himself. Besides, since he'd kept his discoveries about Roger Sparkes' finances quiet, he could hardly now suggest a desperate need for money as a motive. He'd wait until he knew the outcome of Brains' conversation with Roger.

Brains got up and moved towards the door. "I-I'll t-talk to R-Roger now. I-I think he's in his o-office."

John had been hoping he would call Roger Sparkes to the lab, desperate to witness the discussion. He made a tentative suggestion that he should go too, only for Brains to insist, with surprising force, that he would prefer to talk to his friend alone. Unable to argue against this, John accompanied Brains along the corridors, only parting company with him when they reached the lobby. Glancing through the window he couldn't help but smile. Virgil had played his part well and the receptionist was sitting with her back to the doors, posing for a portrait.

Wishing Brains luck and extracting a promise that he be told of the outcome as soon as possible, John slipped back through the door, quietly sidling up to the desk where he admired his brother's work and pretended he'd been there for some time. The receptionist was delighted with Virgil's efforts, beaming at the boys as they made their way back to their seats.

"I didn't think I'd be able to keep her occupied much longer," Virgil said as they sat down. "How did it go?"

"He's talking to him now," John said, gazing through the glass at the door Brains had gone through, the name 'Roger Sparkes' clearly printed on the front. "I wish I knew what was happening."

Over ten minutes of tense speculation later, both boys were surprised to see Leon Sparkes appear in the corridor. He approached his father's door, knocked, then walked in.

"Now what?" John said, frustrated beyond belief that he had no way of knowing what was going on. "I hope Brains is okay with the two of them there."

"Why wouldn't he be?" Virgil asked. He still believed Roger Sparkes to be completely innocent. John just hoped he was right.

Just when John had decided he was going to have to find some way to get into the office - just in case - Leon Sparkes came out, the door closing behind him. He leaned against it for a moment, rubbing a hand over his face with what appeared to be utter relief. Then, glancing over and seeing the boys looking at him, he straightened up, nodded curtly at them, and walked off down the corridor.

"What do you make of that?" Virgil asked.

"I don't know."

A moment later the door opened again, Roger Sparkes and Brains coming out. They shook hands, then Roger walked off in the direction his son had taken whilst Brains came through the lobby door and headed towards the boys.

Both John and Virgil shot over to meet him.

"What's happening?"

"What did he say?"

Brains looked around nervously before steering them back to the couch.

"L-Leon a-admitted e-everything."

"He did?" John couldn't help feeling surprised. "What about the explosion?"

"N-nothing to d-do with h-him."

John wasn't so sure, but he kept quiet as Brains went on.

"R-Roger was h-heartbroken. T-telling him w-was the h-hardest thing I-I've ever h-had to d-do."

"So what happens now?" Virgil asked.

Brains took a deep breath, clearly aware that his next statement wasn't going to go down well. "I-I'm giving R-Roger my d-designs."

_"What?"_

_"All of them?"_

"H-he remortgaged his h-house to pay L-Leon's debts and h-he can't pay b-back the l-loan. He's a f-friend. I-if he'd t-told me h-he was in t-trouble he c-could have had them e-earlier."

"Brains, I get that you want to help him," John said. "I think that's great. But you don't need to give him everything, do you?"

Brains shrugged. "I-I don't need the m-money. R-Roger does. L-Leon's in t-trouble with s-some g-gang and h-he doesn't h-have a c-cent to his n-name."

"But-" Virgil stopped himself just in time. Leon wasn't as badly off as he'd claimed, but any attempts to prove to Brains or Roger Sparkes that the young man was ripping them off would just land his brother in trouble.

John did his best to convince Brains not to act so hastily, to at least get some proof as to the man's financial situation before handing over inventions worth millions, but the man turned out to have a stubborn streak that would have made a Tracy proud. Insisting that he was happy with the situation, he got to his feet.

"I-I'm going h-home," he told them. "R-Roger is g-going to say I-I'm not f-feeling well. I-I'll pick up the d-designs and hand them o-over to R-Roger at lunchtime."

The boys' final attempts to persuade him to wait a little longer fell on deaf ears and they could only watch as he headed out of the building.

"Now what?" Virgil asked.

"Leon's going to do well out of this," John murmured. "Get thinking, Virg, we've got to find a way to stop him."

But neither boy could come up with anything that didn't involve John getting into all sorts of trouble. When Roger came out to speak to them a few minutes later, they were both embarrassed, shifting awkwardly in their seats as the man did his best to explain his son's behaviour, apologising for the trouble he'd caused them. He seemed to have aged ten years since they'd seen him earlier, and his easy smile had gone.

"What are you going to do with the designs?" John asked.

"Leon's got a contact at a rival company," Roger told them. "If his plan had worked last night, he'd have sold them and cleared his debts once and for all. You know, I can't help wishing he'd succeeded and no one had ever found out. Don't think I'm condoning what he's done, but I don't think I've ever felt as ashamed and humiliated as I do right now. I'm sorry, boys. But please don't think too badly of him. It's partly my fault - I guess I've been too soft on him. He went off the rails when his mother died - he never got over the shock of losing her."

Both John and Virgil were silent. They'd lost their mother, too - albeit at a younger age than Leon - but, as hard as it had been, they hadn't reacted as Leon had done. Quite the opposite, in fact, doing their best to be a credit to the memory of the dead woman.

Roger looked at his watch. "I guess I'd better be getting back to work." He looked intently at each boy in turn before saying quietly, "I hope this won't go any further, boys. Hiram's made his choice. If I wasn't desperate I'd never have taken him up on it, but he's a good man. It's more than Leon deserves."

There was nothing more to say and they watched Roger disappear back into his office.

"I don't like it," John said, kicking at the couch as he sat down once more. "Brains might be giving Mr Sparkes the designs, but you can bet Leon's going to get his hands on them soon enough."

"But at least he'll have his house back," Virgil said. "What else can we do, John? We can't tell Brains what to do with his inventions."

"No, I guess not."

The two boys sat in silence for a while. Virgil eventually went back to his music, whilst John moodily stared at the clock above the reception desk. It wouldn't be long until lunchtime. Then Roger Sparkes would go off to meet Brains and his father's meeting would be over. Hoping that would be it and that they could head back to Kansas as planned that evening, John turned back to his phone, wondering if he could find anything else to discredit Jennifer Vine in his father's eyes.

A sharp nudge in the ribs from Virgil finally distracted him.

"_Ow! _What was that for?"

"Look who it is."

Leon Sparkes came into the lobby. Waving dismissively at the receptionist, who was clearly disappointed by his lack of interest, he began to move towards the exit, before suddenly swerving and heading across to the two boys, both of whom sat up a little straighter, exchanging nervous glances as the man reached them.

Leon just stood there for a moment, gazing steadily at the brothers. Finally, he smiled. "I just wanted to say thanks."

He laughed at the confused expressions this comment elicited. "You did me a favour. I get my debts paid off with no consequences for what I did. Hiram's a soft touch like my dad. Nice work."

Then he was gone. They watched him saunter carelessly through the doors and out into the parking lot where he leaned against a car and lit a cigarette.

"I hate him," Virgil said sulkily.

"Me too."

"Look at him," Virgil said disgustedly. "He just doesn't care, does he?"

"Wonder who he's calling," John mused as Leon pulled out his phone.

"Probably making a deal to sell those inventions." Virgil got to his feet.

"Where are you off to?"

"I want to know what he's saying. I wouldn't put it past him to double-cross Brains and Mr Sparkes."

"Virg..."

But Virgil was gone before John could warn him to stay hidden. Not that his brother seemed to need any advice when it came to sneaking around, breezily informing the receptionist that he was just going to get some air, then ducking and weaving around the parked cars before he reached the one next to where Leon was standing.

John watched impatiently. Whoever Leon was speaking to, it was a long conversation, although it seemed to be going well enough for the man, judging by the big grin which appeared on his face. So intent was he on watching the younger Sparkes, that he jumped a mile when the elder appeared in front of him.

"I'm just going to meet Hiram," Roger said. He followed John's gaze, a weary sigh escaping him when he caught sight of his son. "I'll do my best to get him some therapy," he said. "But it's never worked in the past. I promise you, though, John, I won't trouble Hiram again. Neither will Leon. That was one of the conditions for Hiram signing over his designs." He glanced at his watch. "Well, I guess I'd better be on my way."

With a brief goodbye he was gone. He didn't notice Virgil as he called across to his son. Leon abruptly ended his call before following his father to a car. As soon as they were inside, Virgil shot across the parking lot and back to his brother.

"He's running off!" Virgil said, grabbing John by the arm and trying to pull him to his feet.

"What?"

"He was talking to some Ellen woman. I think she's his girlfriend. He told her to pack up and meet him at the mall in half an hour. Said he didn't trust his father to hand over all the money, or to ever bail him out again, so he was going to take the inventions and run off. He's not even going to pay his debts. That means Mr Sparkes will lose his house and all this will have been for nothing. Come on!"

"Okay. But where are we going?"

"The mall. That's where they're meeting Brains - in some restaurant."

"The mall? The one we drove past this morning?"

"I guess so. It's on the way to Brains' place."

John followed his brother out of the door, breaking into a run as soon as he'd exited the building. Virgil was faster, constantly looking over his shoulder and yelling at him to get a move on. John did the best he could, wishing, possibly for the first time, that he was more athletic like the rest of his brothers. It didn't help that the others, travelling by car, would be there by now. It might be all over by the time they got there. Wishing he'd had time to find Roger Sparkes' number, or that Brains' phone hadn't been smashed in the explosion, he forced himself to pick up the pace.

Despite several attempts to hail a cab, no driver would stop for them, and so it took nearly fifteen minutes for them to reach their destination. Both boys were red-faced and breathing heavily when they got there.

"What's this place called?" John gasped.

"Mama something," Virgil said, spotting a map and elbowing his way through the small group of people standing in front of it. A moment later he'd found what he was looking for and was moving back to John. As he reached his brother his phone rang. Tugging it out of his pocket and pulling a face, he snapped an abrupt, "Not now, Scott!" before turning it off. If he'd had the energy, John would have laughed as he pictured the look that would currently be on his oldest brother's face.

Following Virgil as he weaved through the lunchtime crowds, John found himself approaching a small diner. Seated at a table just outside were the men he was looking for. Reaching out to pull Virgil back, he took a moment to work out what he was going to say.

"Leave the talking to me!" he instructed before leading the way forward.

None of the men noticed him approach, all three deep in discussion. The book of designs that Virgil had been so fascinated by the night before lay in the centre of the table.

"Brains, can I talk to you for a minute?" John asked.

"S-sure, J-John," Brains said, clearly somewhat surprised. "G-good timing. W-we've just f-finished."

"No!" Virgil couldn't help the cry that came out.

John bit his lip in frustration, trying to resist the urge to punch Leon Sparkes, who was grinning like a maniac as he picked up a piece of paper and waved it at him, mouthing, 'contract' as he did so. Instead he turned to Brains, hoping there was still something to be done.

"You can't trust him. He-"

"John, please." Roger Sparkes clearly hadn't lost all his faith in his son, even after the day's revelations. "I understand how you feel, but Hiram has signed the designs over to me, not Leon. It's not the most official contract in the world, but it's legally binding. On both of us - Hiram insisted on certain conditions."

"And what will you do when he takes the designs and leaves town? Where are you going to live when your house gets repossessed?"

"Leon's not going to leave town. Are you, son?"

"'Course not."

"We're both going to see his contact and the money's going to be paid into my account. There's nothing to worry about."

"No, listen to me. Virg overheard him talking. To..." He gestured frantically to his brother for help and Virgil stepped forward, obligingly prompting,

"Ellen."

"Ellen, right." John was pleased to see the smile start to slide off Leon's face. He turned back to Roger Sparkes. "He's going to take it all, right now. Ellen's packing up. She's going to pick him up in a minute and then they'll be off. He knows you won't do anything, not to your own son..."

"That's a lie! Dad, you know I wouldn't do that to you."

Roger Sparkes looked from John to his son, clearly unsure what to believe. John wasn't too optimistic that he'd be the winner - after all, the man had clearly spent years indulging his son and making excuses for him. He wasn't likely to suddenly stop now, not on the word of a teenage boy.

"Okay," he said. "Mr Sparkes, will you at least wait and see if this woman turns up here? If she does, you'll see the car loaded up and then you'll know. You can use the money to sort yourself out, deal with Leon's debts yourself if you like, but don't let him take it all."

Virgil was watching Leon closely. Although he was still doing his best to laugh off the accusations, he was clearly becoming increasingly agitated. When John finally seemed to be making some headway with Roger Sparkes, pointing out that it was hardly fair to the man who had come up with the designs in the first place if they weren't used in the way he'd hoped, eliciting a tentative 'well, I suppose I could call Ellen...' from the man, Virgil saw Leon's hand twitch once or twice before it edged towards the book which still sat on the table.

Realising that the man was about to make a run for it - after all, the plans belonged to his father now and he clearly believed that he'd get away with his betrayal, Virgil knew he had to act quickly. Brains might have signed the designs over, but if there were no actual designs to be had...

Darting forward, he grabbed the book just as Leon's fingers brushed against it, then backed quickly away.

"Give that to me!" Leon was on his feet, shoving his chair back so hard that it toppled over.

"Virg..." John sounded uncharacteristically nervous and one look at Leon's furious face was enough for the younger boy to see why. As the man lunged towards him, clearly not bothered whether he got his hands on the boy or the book, Virgil knew he had only one option.

He turned and started to run.


	8. Chapter 8

_Thanks to everyone who responded to the last chapter. Whirlgirl, I'm really glad you liked it. _

_Just a short chapter, but at least this one's on time. _

Chapter Eight

Virgil was usually quick on his feet, but having already endured a fifteen minute run in the midday sun, he couldn't hit his usual stride. Leon Sparkes might have had twenty years on him but he was fit and fresh and Virgil knew from the pounding footsteps he could hear getting closer and closer, that he was being outpaced.

It didn't help that he couldn't even run in a straight line - not that he actually knew where he was going. Crowds of shoppers seemed to be conspiring to get in his way and he had to keep changing direction to avoid slamming into them. From the grunts and shouts behind him, however, it seemed Leon had no such scruples.

Virgil spotted an exit ahead and did his best to put on a final burst of speed, but he was seriously out of breath now and the hoped-for spurt didn't materialise. Instead, as he veered to the left to avoid a woman with a baby, he was suddenly hit hard by a flying tackle from Leon, landing in a heap on the floor to an accompaniment of cries and gasps from startled onlookers.

He lay there for a moment, pinned to the ground by Leon, who, judging by the panting and the pounding heartbeat, was as exhausted as the boy he'd been chasing. Then the weight was gone and Virgil was being pulled to his feet. All he could do was keep as tight a hold on Brains' book as he could, even as Leon tried to pull it away from him.

"What's going on?" A solidly-built security guard, his accent suggesting he wasn't a local man, was suddenly there, manoeuvring his bulk between the pair and sticking one arm out to keep Leon at bay as he tried once more to lunge at Virgil. Virgil would have taken the opportunity to run for it, but a large hand clamped down on his shoulder and then he was stuck.

"I said: _what's going on?"_

Virgil desperately scanned the ring of gawping bystanders, hoping to see his brother, but John had either lost track of him or been unable to keep up the pace, because there was no sign of him. Thinking quickly, he turned to the security guard, an expression of the utmost gratitude on his face.

"Sir, this man was chasing me."

"So I see."

"He stole my notebook!" Leon butted in, clearly aware that chasing a minor didn't make him look good.

"I didn't!"

"You lying little-"

"That's quite enough, Sir." The security guard looked from one to the other. "What's so special about this notebook, then?"

"I didn't steal it!" Virgil said again, before Leon could get a word in. "It's mine."

"Yours?"

"Yes. Look, it's got my initials on it." He held out the book, still gripping it tightly but turning it so that the guard could see the letters VT embossed in white on the black cover. "Virgil Tracy."

Leon stared at him open-mouthed before breaking into laughter. "Nice try. It's Vine Technology, actually. I work there. This book has got details of some of our latest designs."

The security guard looked at him doubtfully. "Vine Technology? I drive past that place every day."

"So you'll have seen their logo," Virgil said quickly. "Leaves and vines - gold on blue. Not this." He bit his lip as he gazed at the man, putting as much innocence into his expression as he could muster and hoping against hope that the man's accent meant he hadn't lived in the town for too long. One of the articles John had found about Jennifer had been critical of her decision to rebrand the company, a massively expensive undertaking by all accounts. Clearly a basic, functional logo hadn't been good enough for her. Heaven knew what she'd do to the Tracy Industries' insignia - Virgil had helped his father choose the colours for that one himself and he'd sworn he wasn't going to let the woman change a thing.

"He's right," the guard said, slowly. "Not the same logo."

"It changed two years ago!" Leon insisted. "I should know, I work there." He smiled at the guard in what he clearly hoped was an ingratiating manner, leaning forward to mutter, "To tell you the truth, I shouldn't have brought it out of the building, but it was a nice day so I thought maybe I'd sit in the park for a while, do a bit of work outside. Here..." he fished in his pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. "Thanks for your help. Let the kid go - I'm sure it was just a prank. The less said the better, huh?"

The guard ignored the money Leon was waving at him. "I guess if you work for the company you'll have some ID."

Leon frowned. He'd taken off his lab coat in his father's car. His badge was clipped to the front and his security pass was in the pocket. He had no other proof that he was, indeed, a Vine Tech employee.

"See," Virgil said, unable to keep the smile of satisfaction off his face. "He can't."

Leon shot him a furious look and Virgil immediately lost the smile, glad the guard was in between them.

"Oh, come on, just look inside the book!" Leon snapped. "You can see it's full of plans for machinery. It's obviously mine."

"School project," Virgil countered. "I'm thinking about becoming an engineer."

"I think what's in there is a bit beyond a child," Leon sneered. "Take a look, Sir. You'll see what I mean."

"Okay," Virgil said. "If it's yours, you tell him about the designs."

The security guard turned to Leon. "Sounds reasonable."

Leon's face fell, leaving Virgil feeling triumphant. The fact that the book had been on the table next to Brains' coffee cup had given him hope that Leon wouldn't have had much chance to study what was inside. It seemed he was right, as the man murmured some vague comments about a new mode of transportation.

"That's it?" Virgil asked. "What about..." He reeled off a list of details. "Then there's the last page," he said, describing his drawing of Mrs Hanlon on the hovercraft/bicycle. "I can draw it again for you," he told the security guard. "You can see it's my work. Unless he wants to have a go..." He couldn't resist a sly grin at Leon as he said this.

The security guard certainly seemed convinced when Virgil showed him the relevant page, pulling out a pencil and copying Mrs Hanlon's likeness exactly.

"It's the same," the guard agreed. He turned to Leon Sparkes. "Anything to say for yourself, Sir?"

"Are you serious?" Leon snapped as he tried to squirm away from the man's firm grip. "Why would I want to steal some kid's sketchbook? He might have drawn that picture, but I guarantee the writing around those designs isn't his. Get him to write something. Go on."

That wasn't good, Virgil thought. The thirteen-year-old had no problem when it came to imitating other people's handwriting but he needed time to practise - he didn't think he could do an accurate enough job of recreating Brains' right now, not when so much depended on the result. The guard must have seen the flicker of anxiety that crossed his face since he used his chin to activate the radio clipped onto his shoulder, calling for some help with what he admitted was a bit of an unusual situation.

There was only one thing Virgil could think of to get the guard on his side and he forced himself to say the six words he'd sworn would never pass his lips.

"I'm not _'some kid'_! Don't you know who I am?"

The guard stared at him in bemusement. "Should I?"

"Virgil Tracy? Son of Jeff Tracy? The astronaut? The _billionaire_?" Virgil just hoped his grandmother never heard about this - she'd once grounded Alan for a whole week when he'd tried that line. Still, those circumstances hadn't been quite as desperate as these.

Sure enough, the Tracy name had its usual impact, especially when Virgil backed it up with his ID. The guard's firm grip on the boy's shoulder softened, but he didn't let go completely.

"It's my sketchbook," Virgil said once again. "Honestly. This guy tried to take it. I thought maybe he was going to try to claim some reward for finding it - people are always trying that sort of thing on Dad - so I snatched it back and ran. I didn't think he'd come after me. Maybe you should ring the police - he might be a kidnapper or something."

"Oh, come on." Leon held up his hands as the guard's expression turned grim. "This is ridiculous. Okay, maybe there's been a misunderstanding. Let the kid have the book if it means that much to him."

As John finally skidded up to him, Brains and Roger Sparkes lagging some way behind, Virgil breathed a sigh of relief, hoping it was finally over. But the guard wasn't going to let things go so easily.

"Not so fast, Sir. What did you say your name was?"

Leon hesitated, clearly aware that even a cursory check on his identity would reveal his crooked past. He looked to his father, who had finally reached the small group, clearly hoping to persuade him to help, but at that moment they were all distracted as a shrill voice came from the direction of the exit:

"Leon? What's going on?"

"Ellen?" It was Roger Sparkes who responded, his face falling as the girl's presence confirmed everything John had been saying.

"Dad, it's not what you think..."

Roger looked at his son long and hard for a moment. Then he ripped up the piece of paper he'd been clutching and handed the scraps to John.

_"Dad!"_

But Roger turned his back and walked shakily over to a bench some distance away, leaning forward and staring at the floor.

"Go on," John whispered to Brains, seeing how the young man was torn between wanting to help both his old and new friends. "I'll call you if I need you."

Leon struggled against the security guard's hold, cursing furiously at his captor, his father, Hiram Hackenbacker and the Tracy brothers, until the guard had finally had enough.

"Okay, Sir. I think you need to answer a few questions. Come on."

Leon tried to pull away but that just played into the guard's hands and he easily twisted the man's arm behind him, only for Ellen to take umbrage at this and fling herself on the guard's back. Fortunately for him, reinforcements arrived just at that moment and order was quickly restored.

"Let's get out of here," John muttered to Virgil as both Ellen and Leon were escorted away, but as they turned to leave, the first guard stopped them. "Not so fast, Virgil Tracy. I want to talk to your father."

_"What?" _All Virgil's composure was suddenly gone.

"You think I'm going to let Jeff Tracy's son walk away after a possible kidnap attempt? Not a chance - I need this job too badly. Come on."

Five minutes later John and Virgil were sitting in a small room nervously awaiting their father's arrival.

"He's going to kill us," Virgil said quietly.

"Yeah, well, that's your fault."

"Mine? How do you work that one out?"

"You told them who you were."

"What else was I supposed to say? Nothing else was working."

"You should have stalled him until I got there."

"And how long was that going to take? I'd already been waiting half an hour for you."

"Don't exaggerate!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

They didn't notice the door open, nor the familiar figure who strode in.

_"Boys!" _

Jeff Tracy had never looked less happy...


	9. Chapter 9

_Not quite the last chapter - just a short epilogue to follow - but nearly done._

Chapter Nine

John and Virgil froze. All they could do was stare dumbly at their father and wait for him to explode. But to their bewilderment, the man just studied each of them intently for a long moment before asking in a surprisingly steady voice,

"Are you alright?"

Exchanging relieved glances, the boys nodded.

"Good," Jeff said. "Because I'd like to know precisely why I received a phone call from a security guard telling me that my son was causing a disturbance in the mall!"

If his increasingly harsh and loud tone of voice didn't tell the brothers they'd relaxed just a moment too soon, the ominous twitching of their father's left eye did. Before either boy could get in a word of explanation, Jeff was off again.

"Impossible, I told him. My boys are sitting safely in the lobby of Vine Technology just like I told them to. But oh, no... When I go to look, what do I find? No sons. So, once the security guard has finished saying, _I told you _so, he starts telling me a story about Vine Tech employees chasing you, Virgil, and something about a stolen notebook. None of it made any sense to me - or to him, apparently. So what I would like you to tell me is: _what the hell is going on?_"

"Dad, we-"

"Stay out of it, John! Whatever tale you're planning on spinning for me, save your breath. I heard enough just now to know that whatever happened, neither of you are innocent victims. Virgil, I want to know exactly what you've been up to."

Virgil winced at his father's icy tone.

"Well? Come on, I'm waiting. You can start by explaining why you left Vine Tech in the first place."

"We were trying to help Brains," Virgil said quietly.

"Who?"

"T-that w-would b-be m-me, M-Mr T-Tracy."

Three heads swung round to see Brains standing nervously in the doorway. His stutter was worse than ever and he shuffled and picked at his jacket, unable to look at Jeff.

"Hiram? You're part of this?"

"It wasn't Brains' fault!" John chipped in as Brains went even paler than he'd been a moment ago.

"Be quiet, John!"

Jeff's expression finally softened just a little as he registered just how terrified the young man seemed to be. Taking a deep breath, he did his best to moderate his tone as he invited him to come in and sit down. It looked as though there was no simple answer to this after all - he'd been prepared to hear all about a fight or some prank. The latter would have been preferable, he'd thought on the drive to the mall - at least the boys would be on the same side for once - but clearly he'd been way off with his theories if Hiram was involved too.

"Brains?" he finally asked, deciding to get the little things out of the way first.

"Y-Yes. V-Virgil gave me the n-nickname."

"Did he now...?"

Jeff studied the younger of his two sons once again, wondering why the boy was looking at the ground so shiftily.

"So you know all about this, Hiram?" he asked, turning back to the man.

"Y-yes."

Jeff considered his options for a moment. John would never reveal all, no matter what he was threatened with. Virgil could usually be relied upon to tell the truth, but he was obviously in deep on this one and Jeff wasn't certain he'd get the whole story from his middle boy. That just left Hiram, and despite the fact that it might take some time to get everything out of him given the way his speech had deteriorated, he was probably his best option.

"Right, you can tell me all about it. Outside."

With a panicked look back at John and Virgil, Brains was ushered out of the room by Jeff. A second later the door closed and the boys were left to wait and worry.

"At least he doesn't know about the hacking," John muttered, but given all the other things Hiram knew, that was small comfort.

It was over ten minutes later that the door opened again. Jeff came in and his sons studied his face intently, trying to gauge just how much trouble they were in. They didn't have much luck, though, their father apparently deliberately keeping his expression blank.

"Hiram's gone to find Roger Sparkes," Jeff told them. "So whilst I'm waiting, I'd like to hear your side of the story. Who wants to start?"

There was silence.

"Alright," Jeff said, once it became clear that neither son was going to open his mouth. "How about we start with your adventures yesterday evening? That 'fight' you boys were telling me about..."

Any hopes the boys might have had that their father would be pleased that his sons hadn't really fallen out, and that they were actually working together for once, were soon dashed as Jeff gave up trying to keep his cool and let himself go. He was furious that they'd left the hotel in the first place, but, as he pointed out - at great length - he might have been able to forgive them if they'd told him the truth that morning. It was the fact that they'd lied to him that was really making him angry.

It took him a long time to get it all off his chest, but eventually he ran out of steam and for a long moment there was just a tense silence.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he eventually asked, and now there was as much sadness in his voice as there was exasperation. "I understand you wanted to help Hiram, but you must have realised this was too much for a couple of kids to handle."

"We thought Mrs Vine might be involved," Virgil finally muttered, bracing himself for another explosion when he risked a quick glance up at his father and saw the look on his face.

"We didn't want to do anything to get in the way of your deal," John said quickly.

Jeff considered this for a moment then shook his head. "Well, I'm grateful for that at least. Jennifer wouldn't forgive an accusation like that in a hurry."

John and Virgil couldn't help wishing they'd told their father everything, now. Maybe the fallout would have been enough to alienate him from Jennifer. But it was too late now. It seemed they were stuck with this potential step-mother after all.

Jeff had moved on, getting them to confirm all the details of the story he'd heard from Brains. John had fully expected to have to hand over his phone along with the tracking software, but he was glad to find that Brains had kept that information to himself. In fact, given how terrified he'd looked at the prospect of an interview with an irate Jeff Tracy, the man had done well in managing to keep some of the more awkward details to himself. To the boys' relief, their father seemed to accept this version of events and John's hacking escapades remained a secret.

Jeff even grudgingly praised them both for the way they'd worked it all out. However, he was not at all pleased that they'd decided to take matters into their own hands and run off to the mall.

"What were you thinking?" he asked, his voice rising once again. "You must have known I'd be worried sick about you when I found you were missing. Jennifer and I were just about to finish our meeting. If I'd gone out there and found you gone... It was just as well I got the call from that man when I did."

Both boys mumbled an apology.

"We didn't really think," Virgil admitted. "We just wanted to help Brains and stop Leon taking everything."

Jeff let out a long, heartfelt sigh. "Believe it or not, boys, I'm actually proud of you. But the way you went about it... Virgil, what if no one had been there to help you when that man caught you?"

Virgil shrugged but said nothing.

Jeff was silent for a while. Eventually, John worked up the courage to ask,

"What happens now?"

"Honestly, John, I'm really not too sure," his father replied. "But I've got a nice, long journey back to Kansas to think of an appropriate punishment for the pair of you. Just wait till I tell your grandmother..."

"I meant what happens with Brains," John said. "Did he tell you about..."

"About what?" Jeff asked sharply.

The boys exchanged glances, then John shook his head. "Nothing, it doesn't matter."

"Well, I can't fault your loyalty to your friend," his father said slowly. "Though I can't help feeling hurt that you're still not prepared to confide in me. But actually, John, Hiram did tell me about the reactor unit in his apartment. I don't know... the man's a genius but I'm not sure he really thought that one through."

"Is he still going to give Mr Sparkes his plans?" Virgil asked.

"He tore up the contract," John reminded his brother, pulling bits of paper out of his pocket.

"But Hiram did sign them over," Jeff said. "It's not quite as simple as just ripping up a piece of paper, John. There are all sorts of legal issues to consider now. What are these inventions, anyway?"

Virgil passed over the book and watched as his father flicked through it.

"They're good, aren't they?" Virgil asked.

"Oh yes," his father agreed. "This is why I want him to work for me."

"We tried to persuade him," John said.

"Did you now?" Jeff couldn't help the small smile that flickered for a moment before he got control of himself and replaced it with the same steely glare that he'd worn since coming into the room.

"How much are they worth, Dad?" Virgil asked. "We thought they'd make millions."

Jeff smiled. "Well, Virgil, I don't think they're quite that valuable. They're ingenious, that's for sure, but they'd be very expensive to make - I don't think they'd be commercially viable in their current form. But the basic technology has got possibilities... Leon Sparkes certainly knew what he was doing when he decided to go after these."

"What's going to happen to him?" John asked. "We can't go to the police or Brains will get into trouble."

"Well, that's the problem, isn't it?" Jeff said. "Virgil, I assume you don't want me to take any action against him for chasing you?"

"No." Virgil shook his head vigorously. He could feel John's eyes boring into him and he knew his brother wanted everything resolved as quickly and informally as possible, just in case a proper investigation revealed all the things he'd done. He didn't want the fuss that would follow Leon's arrest, either.

"Well, then," Jeff said. "It looks as if he's going to get away with it."

"But now Mr Sparkes knows what he's really like, he won't give him any more money, will he?" Virgil asked. "Otherwise all this will have been for nothing."

"I don't know," Jeff said. "It's hard for a man to wash his hands of a son - however tempted he might be at times."

John and Virgil managed small smiles as their father winked at them.

A knock at the door interrupted whatever Jeff had been about to say next. Brains poked his head in and informed them that Roger Sparkes had arrived.

Jeff rose to his feet. "Stay here. I won't be long."

Then, as he got to the door, he turned back, raising an amused eyebrow at Virgil. "Brains?"

He was gone before Virgil could say anything.

Jeff might have thought the discussion with Roger Sparkes would be brief, but in reality it was nearly twenty minutes later when he reappeared. His boys were nearly climbing the walls in frustration at this point, desperate to know what was going on, but too fearful of upsetting their father again to go and find out. Virgil had debated calling Scott, regretting his earlier abrupt dismissal of his brother, but the prospect of having to run through the story yet again - not to mention the lecture which was guaranteed to follow - put him off the idea.

When Jeff came back into the room, both John and Virgil were instantly on their feet and badgering him to know what was happening.

"Alright, sit down," their father told them. "Mr Sparkes is a proud man - albeit a somewhat humiliated one right now. Stubborn, too. He was determined not to take any more help from Hiram - or from me."

"But he has to!" Virgil insisted. "He'll lose his home if he doesn't."

Jeff held up a hand. "I know, Virgil. Don't worry. We came to an arrangement in the end."

"You did?" John asked. "Leon's not going to get his hands on the money, is he?"

"No. Mr Sparkes had to accept that by signing the plans over to him, Hiram gave up his rights to them. The only alternative to selling them back was to destroy them, and he didn't want to do that."

"Good." Virgil rested a protective hand over the notebook.

"Hiram's agreed to take them back, but only if Mr Sparkes accepts enough money to pay off his debts. He didn't like it. In the end the only way we could do it was to make him take it as a loan - on easier terms than any bank would offer, naturally."

"So he won't lose his house?"

"No, Virgil. Well, not unless he gives all his money to his son again, but I can't stop him from doing that. We offered him enough to cover Leon's debts, but he insists it's time his son faced up to his responsibilities himself. Whether he'll stand by that in the long run..."

No one was convinced that the man wouldn't cave and bail his son out once more, whatever the cost to himself. It was frustrating, but they all understood the need to protect a loved one.

"He told me I should be proud of you two," Jeff informed them. "He's got a point, I suppose. You might have gone about things the wrong way but you meant well. Just promise me that you won't do anything like this again. I know I wanted the pair of you to get on, but if this is what comes of it, I'd rather you went back to how you were a few days ago."

John and Virgil grinned at each other.

"Come on, then," Jeff said, getting to his feet. "I've got a deal to conclude, then we're leaving this town. You two don't leave my sight again until we're back in Kansas."

He opened the door intending to head straight out to his car. Instead, he was distracted by the sight of Hiram - or 'Brains' as his boys would have it - standing there waiting for him.

"Hiram?"

"M-Mr T-Tracy. C-Can I h-have a w-word?"

"Of course. What can I do for you?"

"W-well, I-I was w-wondering if that j-job offer was still o-open."

"You were? That's wonderful! Of course it is!"

John and Virgil had rarely seen their father so enthusiastic about anything. Not that they were far behind. They'd grown genuinely fond of the young man over the past couple of days and the prospect of seeing more of him was the only positive they could think of in the prospective merging of Tracy Industries and Vine Technology.

"What made you change your mind, Brains?" Virgil asked.

Brains glanced around nervously before explaining that he'd just witnessed a fight between Leon Sparkes and his girlfriend. Unhappy that the promised wealth was no longer going to materialise, Ellen had declared their relationship over, leaving Roger Sparkes to remind his son that at least he still had a job and, if he put in plenty of overtime, he might just be able to clear his debts within a year or two. The complaints and curses this had prompted had made up Brains' mind for him. Already wavering in favour of a move to Jeff's company, especially after making friends with his sons, the prospect of having a resentful and possibly vengeful Leon spending even more time working with him had tipped the balance.

"Well I'm very glad you've changed your mind," Jeff told him. "Welcome on board, Brains."

He wondered why Hiram and his sons were laughing, then realised that he, too, had used the nickname.

"Catchy, isn't it?" John said.

"It certainly is," Jeff told him. "I'm sorry, Hiram. That was unprofessional of me."

"I-I d-don't mind," Brains told him. "R-really."

Jeff looked uncertain, but at that moment he was distracted by the ringing of his phone. "Excuse me," he murmured, moving slightly away from Brains and his jubilant sons to take the call.

"Jennifer..."

Virgil elbowed John and motioned to him to keep quiet as he tried to overhear the conversation. Not that there was much of one to hear. His father didn't seem to be able to get in more than the odd word or two as Jennifer's shrill tones carried from the phone.

"I'm sorry... Yes, I'm with the boys... No, no... Everything's fine... No, there weren't any more explosions... Yes, I'm on my way back now... "

Jeff ended the call and ran a weary hand over his eyes. "Well," he said, turning back to the other three. "I have to say, Brains, your timing couldn't have been better. At least now I won't have to buy Vine Technology and spend any more time with that awful woman."

_"What?"_ John couldn't stop the exclamation.

"You mean you're not going to marry her?" Virgil had even less self-control than his brother, though he soon found himself wishing he'd kept his mouth shut...

"_Marry_ her?" Jeff stared at his son, clearly uncertain as to whether or not he'd heard what he thought he had. "What do you mean, 'marry her'?"

"Nothing," Virgil muttered, flashing a desperate look across to John. His brother actually took a step back, raising his hands as if to say, _you're on your own with this one._

"Virgil..." Jeff's voice was cold now. "Explain yourself, please."

"Well, what were we supposed to think? She was all over you and you didn't seem to mind. Anyone could see what she wanted."

"So you thought that... _Me? _ With Jennifer? After a woman like your_ mother?"_

Virgil said nothing. In fact he was staring so hard at the floor, clearly wishing he could disappear into it, that Jeff actually felt sorry for the boy, despite his own anger. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to keep his voice calm as he set his son straight.

"Well, I suppose that explains your rudeness yesterday, even if it doesn't excuse it. But how you could believe I was being anything other than professional... Virgil, in business you have to be polite to people you don't necessarily like. It's not always pleasant, particularly if the other person has their own agenda, but it has to be done if you want to get a deal. Do you think I'd have got where I am if I only worked with people I liked? How do you think I made the money to buy that grand piano you're so fond of? Yes, I know Jennifer was... _interested_... in me, but I've always made it quite clear that I had no intention of being anything more than a business partner. Thankfully, now I don't even have to be that."

"Oh." Virgil didn't know what else to say.

Jeff seemed to have a few more things on his mind, but an awkward shuffle from Brains, who seemed to be doing his best to edge away from them, got his attention. With an exasperated, "_Get in the car!" _to his sons, he moved to catch the young genius's arm, determined that he wasn't going to change his mind about his new job.

John and Virgil did what they were told.

"Nice one, Virg," John muttered.

"I'll tell him you thought it, too," Virgil snapped.

They were still arguing when Jeff opened the driver's door. Resisting the temptation to walk away and leave them to it, he got in, told them to shut up, and started the engine. Ten minutes to get back to the office, five more to break the news to Jennifer that the deal was off - she'd get over the financial loss quickly, if nothing else; after all, she'd already had another good offer for her company - then he was going back to the hotel, packing up and getting his sons back to Kansas before they could cause any more trouble. He'd find some excuse to head off to the office in New York in the morning, he decided. His mother could deal with these two - and good luck to her!


	10. Chapter 10

_Finally, the last part of what was supposed to be a short four chapter story! I might have got a bit carried away..._

_Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed, followed or favourited this - I can't say how much I appreciate it. Whirlgirl, once again I'm sorry I can't reply in person, but I've valued all your reviews - thank you. Rachel, I'm really pleased you liked the story - it's been a lot of fun writing Virgil and John. _

_I can't finish without saying a massive thank you to Loopstagirl for all the feedback and support on this, especially this last chapter._

Chapter Ten

It was only a short drive back to Vine Technology and Jeff was far too preoccupied in planning what to say to Jennifer to do more than shoot an occasional glare in the direction of his subdued sons. When he finally pulled to a halt, his heart sinking at the sight of Jennifer pacing up and down in the lobby, he decided that although he really didn't want to let the boys out of his sight, the last thing he needed was a couple of witnesses to what was bound to be a difficult encounter - especially when at least one of them was practically guaranteed to say something unfortunate and upset the woman even more. Although that might actually get him out of this a little more easily, Jeff thought ruefully, allowing himself to wonder what would happen if he sent Virgil in to break the news that the deal - and whatever else Jennifer had had in mind - was off. But he'd never been one to take the coward's way out, even though he might regret that sometimes, and so, with a command to his boys to stay in the car no matter what - none the less forceful for being delivered in the quietest and calmest tone of voice, the one that let his boys know that they were still in deep, deep trouble - he got out of the car and went in to face the music.

Virgil scuttled over to John's side of the car to get a better look, ignoring his brother's protests as he was squashed up against the door. But if they'd been hoping for a display of histrionics in the lobby, they were both disappointed as they watched their father lead Jennifer into the depths of the building, presumably to the privacy of her office.

It was a tense fifteen minutes before they saw their father emerge from the building. Despite their relief when he'd denied any attraction to Jennifer Vine, the boys weren't convinced that she would let him get away all that easily. It seemed they'd been right when they glimpsed their father's expression as he let the doors of Vine Technology slide shut behind him - the interview with Jennifer had clearly been something of an ordeal and just for a second Jeff had allowed an uncharacteristic look of exhaustion, mixed with utter relief, to flit across his face. An expression he quickly tried to hide as he realised his sons were watching him.

"That was _not_ an enjoyable experience," he informed them as he got into the car. Both John and Virgil were desperate for details, having passed the time speculating just how things would be going, but they knew better than to ask.

Jeff shifted in his seat, turning round to study his sons. "I suppose neither of you are any more enthusiastic about joining me in business now, are you?" he asked, unsurprised when they both shook their heads.

"Didn't think so," he sighed, turning back to the wheel.

"Artists, musicians, racing drivers... _One _son with a business brain - just one. Is that really too much to ask?" he grumbled under his breath, as he started the engine and pulled away.

True to his word, Jeff allowed his boys little time to collect their belongings and check out of the hotel. Grandma would have been horrified at the haphazard way they shoved their things into their bags, but Jeff was just happy that the job was done quickly. Once they were back in the car and heading towards the airfield where they'd left the family jet, he finally allowed himself to relax. All in all it had been a successful day, he thought, albeit a somewhat surprising one. He'd finally got the man whose talents he so admired to join his company - and he'd never have to see Jennifer Vine again. It was hard to stay angry at his boys when their efforts had had such a good outcome - and, he was forced to admit, they'd meant well, even if they had found the most unorthodox way of going about things. He wasn't surprised - not really. All his sons had a knack of finding trouble, even when they didn't go looking for it. Maybe he wouldn't punish John and Virgil too harshly, he thought, though for now he'd let them think they'd be in for it once they got home.

Virgil took a call from Scott - a surprisingly short one given all that had happened.

"He's meeting us at the airfield," the boy announced as he put his phone back in his pocket.

Jeff frowned. The last thing he wanted was Scott neglecting his studies as he tried to sort out yet another brother situation.

"It's okay," Virgil said, catching onto his father's train of thought. "He's just picked up the car you got him and he wants to try it out. He doesn't have classes this afternoon."

Deciding it would be interesting to see what his oldest son made of all this - and hoping his boys hadn't laid it on too thick with him about Jennifer - Jeff turned on the stereo and settled down to enjoy the drive.

His father might have been looking forward to Scott's reaction but John wasn't. He'd had more than enough lectures on how to keep his brothers out of trouble and yet he'd clearly failed in his very first attempt to act as brother-in-chief. Not to mention that Scott would be a lot harder to fool than his father, having a little more understanding of his brother's abilities when it came to computers. He just hoped Scott didn't drop him in it.

After an enthusiastic reunion, the story was told. Scott, as they had expected, was at first incredulous, then furious, and then - in what John thought was a spectacularly well-timed bit of subject-changing on the part of Virgil - forced to break off mid-rant to explain to his father why he'd already picked up a speeding ticket when he'd only had the car for two hours.

"Nice work - again," John told his younger brother, his admiration clear. "You'd think he'd have had more sense than to leave the ticket lying on the seat. He should have known you'd be all over a new car. Give it here."

It was Virgil's turn to be impressed as, in less than a minute, all records of the transgression were wiped from the police computers.

"He won't like that," Virgil said.

"There's a lot he doesn't like," John grinned. "But what's he going to do about it? Come on, let's go and rescue him from Dad."

Half an hour later, after one last round of goodbyes, the jet lifted off, Scott's figure getting smaller and smaller until he was finally lost from sight. Only then did Virgil stop waving.

John leaned back in his seat and looked at his brother.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm glad you're still here, though. Are you alright about staying home another two years?"

John considered this for a moment. "I'm fine," he said. "I guess Dad was right about there being more to life than work."

"Never thought I'd hear you say that."

"Never thought I'd say it, either. And if you tell Dad I did, I'll deny it."

"Another secret?" Virgil grinned. "You know, this has been fun."

"It has, hasn't it?"

* * *

To say Grandma was surprised at the cordiality displayed by the two boys who had barely been able to say a civil word to each other just a few days ago, was an understatement. Jeff's plan to force them to overcome their differences by making them spend time together had clearly worked. Although when she looked at her son she could tell there was something on his mind. It seemed as though things hadn't worked out quite the way he'd planned, even if the end result had been the one he'd intended. She swore she'd find out all about it before the day was done. Jeff was usually in the mood to talk once he'd had a drink and if one didn't work, well, she might not approve of overindulgence, but a woman had to know what was going on with her family and if cake wouldn't loosen her son's tongue as it would her grandsons', alcohol certainly would! But first there was the matter of feeding the returning Tracys...

Jeff had expected to be regaled with tales of bad behaviour and severe punishments, especially given how unhappy the two youngest boys had been when they'd had to say goodbye to Scott. But it seemed he'd been mistaken as his mother praised both Gordon and Alan, telling him she'd never known them make such an effort to be good. He was even more surprised when the pair set the table without fuss, were polite to each other and everyone else all through the meal, then did the washing-up without even having to be asked. Jeff decided he'd definitely got the worst end of the deal as he prepared to tell his mother the whole story. Not just yet, though; he knew from long experience that taking more than one drink would bring on a lecture, unless his mother wanted to get him to confide in her. Then she'd happily pour out a whole bottle - and this evening he was definitely a man in need of a drink!

Meanwhile the four remaining brothers had gathered in the living room.

"I'm glad you're back," Gordon said. "I don't envy you, John. It's hard work being the oldest."

"You got the lecture from Scott too, huh?" John asked, suddenly understanding why Gordon had been such an angel for the past couple of days.

"Yeah. Didn't think I'd be able to keep it up. But now you're here I can go back to being a brat again!" Gordon announced, a frankly terrifying grin creeping over his face.

"Great," John muttered.

"It is!" Alan told him. "Between Gordy and Grandma I could barely breathe without being told off."

"That's not going to change," Gordon told him. "Now I've had a taste of power I'd like to keep in practice. Sorry, Al."

Alan pouted and looked to Virgil for support. But before he could say anything, Gordon turned back to his two older brothers.

"Say, what's been going on with you two? You're getting on a whole lot better than you did before you went away."

John and Virgil settled down to give their brothers a slightly more truthful version of events than they'd allowed their father or oldest brother to hear, even if they did still keep some parts of the story to themselves, knowing from experience that it was never a good idea to supply a brother with blackmail material, especially something on this scale. It felt good to be home and united once again - even if their younger brothers barely seemed to believe half of what they were hearing...

Grandma, on the other hand, believed everything Jeff told her. As he'd expected she was horrified by her grandsons' adventures - although she burst out laughing when he told her, with some embarrassment, all about Jennifer. Finally, though, after taking a while to think it all through - and somewhat to Jeff's surprise - she calmed down and decided to focus on the positives.

"They're your sons, after all," she pointed out.

"What does that mean?"

"Jeff, you got into enough trouble yourself at that age, remember. Don't get me wrong, I was always proud of you for trying to help people, but the grey hairs you gave me - and your father."

"I wasn't that bad," Jeff muttered.

"Oh, yes, you were, dear," Grandma smiled. "This is payback. You might have got off lightly with Scott, but the other four... You'll be lucky to have any hair at all by the time you're fifty! "

Laughing to herself, she poured him another drink before leaving the room.

John and Virgil kept a low profile initially, but once it seemed that there would be no major consequences to their actions beyond an early curfew and a few extra chores, they began to relax. When, a few weeks later, their father announced that Brains had finished at Vine Technology and would be flying out to Kansas to spend some time with the family before moving on to work at Tracy Industries' new facility in California, they were delighted.

Jeff took them to the airport to pick up their friend. The man looked more relaxed than the boys had ever seen him - which wasn't really surprising given that on the other occasions when they'd met he'd either been anxious about giving a presentation or reacting to burglars, irate heads of residents associations, or breaking bad news to Roger Sparkes about his son. He was clearly delighted to be free from Vine Tech and had plenty of news for Jeff and the boys about the other players in their drama.

Jennifer Vine hadn't been idle, it seemed. Despite having told Jeff that he'd broken her heart - he'd kept that information to himself, of course - she'd quickly turned her attentions to the chairman of the rival company which had been bidding to buy Vine Technology. Jeff silently wished her - and the poor man she'd latched onto - the best of luck, before changing the subject.

"What about Mr Sparkes, Brains?" he asked.

"That l-loan shark t-turned nasty so h-he gave L-Leon the m-money to p-pay him off," Brains informed them, then had to pause to allow the groans from John and Virgil to die down.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," Jeff sighed.

"But how's he going to live?" John asked. "Doesn't that mean he can't pay his mortgage?"

"Y-Yes," Brains told them. "I-I offered to h-help him out again, b-but he said n-no. I-I think it m-might work out, though."

"How?"

"W-well, I-I n-needed someone to t-take over m-my apartment. I-I still have some experiments r-running and n-nuclear reactors take a-a while to shut d-down, you know. R-Roger's going t-to stay there and t-take care of it for m-me."

"Rent free, I'm guessing?" Jeff asked.

"Y-yes. M-Mrs H-Hanlon wasn't too h-happy about me letting someone else h-have the apartment, but once she m-met Roger she changed h-her mind. I-I think he w-was quite t-taken, too."

"Mrs Hanlon? And Mr Sparkes?" Virgil was incredulous. "But he's so nice. And she's horrible."

_"Virgil!"_

"But Dad, she is."

Brains laughed. "I-it's okay V-Virgil. She's a-a different w-woman around R-Roger. W-when he moved in this m-morning she b-brought c-cookies."

"He didn't let her in, did he?" John asked.

"N-no. H-he said he was d-decorating. S-so she i-invited him to her apartment for d-dinner t-tonight."

Virgil pulled a face, but John said thoughtfully, "You know, it might be a good thing if they get together. Leon won't put anything over on her. She might be the one to stop him treating Mr Sparkes so badly."

Virgil didn't look convinced. Still, the prospect of Leon being on the receiving end of Mrs Hanlon's sharp tongue was a very satisfying one and, like his brother, he hoped that there would be a happy ending for Roger Sparkes.

Shortly after that they arrived at the Tracy house to find everyone waiting on the porch to meet the young man they'd heard so much about. Grandma instantly declared that he was far too skinny, and, horrified at the answer she was given when she asked when he'd last eaten a home-cooked meal - Brains had to think for a long time before giving a date some three years ago - she took herself off to the kitchen and began pulling recipe books off the shelf, announcing that her guest wouldn't be leaving the Tracy house until he'd put on at least ten pounds. The boys, of course, were delighted. Anything that got Grandma making more cake was fine by them and Brains found that he'd immediately endeared himself to Gordon and Alan.

It was a pleasant visit. When Brains wasn't discussing technology with John and Virgil or helping the others with their homework, he was to be found shut up in Jeff's study, the pair of them emerging hours later laughing about some project which they refused to discuss with the others. Jeff simply pronounced it, 'utterly insane,' and yet there was a faraway look in his eye that suggested that maybe he might one day try to find a way to make it work. His boys didn't worry too much about it - after all, it wasn't likely to ever affect them.

And so the days went by. Brains headed off to his new job, and the family settled down to life without Scott. They missed him terribly, of course, but he kept in touch, speaking to at least one member of the family - usually Virgil - every day. He was happy and doing well and that was enough for everyone. But the family dynamic had changed and John felt it more than anyone. Gordon hadn't been wrong when he'd said he'd go back to being a brat but, unfortunately for the second-eldest, his brother been way off the mark when he'd promised to keep Alan in line. The youngest boy was once again Gordon's partner-in-crime and John was finding it more and more difficult to handle the pair. Virgil did his best to help and the two of them made a great team, but even so, the youngest boys were more than they could cope with at times. John didn't want to go running to Scott for advice, even though he knew that Virgil kept his brother up to date with all the goings-on in the Tracy house, nor did he want the two adults of the house to think he wasn't up to the job of controlling his brothers, so he was forced to rely on his own ingenuity to keep them even remotely in line.

A little judicious tracking of Gordon and an 'innocent' comment to Grandma about his visit to a friend John knew she had forbidden him to play with had got the boy grounded. John hoped he'd have a bit of peace for a few days, knowing that Gordon would be on his best behaviour in the hope that his punishment might be cut down a little, but it wasn't to be. With Gordon out of action, Alan was really playing up, and it was driving the older boy insane. He'd worried that he'd only have half as much patience as his eldest brother in dealing with the younger boys, but he knew now he'd been wrong about that: he seemed to barely have a tenth of it.

He had sought sanctuary in his room that evening and was engrossed in some homework, when a sudden agonised wail from downstairs jarred him from his thoughts. Dropping his book, he leapt up from his chair in a complete panic and went hurtling down the stairs, charging through the door and into the lounge, taking a deep breath in readiness for whatever he was about to face.

Alan was standing by the table. Good, John thought. Standing was good. He immediately eliminated some of the worst possibilities from his mind. There was still that scream echoing through his head, though. Something bad had happened...

"Al?"

Alan turned towards him, bottom lip trembling.

"Alan? What's wrong?"

Alan stumbled towards John holding out his hand.

"I cut my finger!"

John took a step back, relief and disbelief fighting for dominance.

"You cut your finger...?"

Alan sniffed. "On the paper. Look!"

"A paper cut?" John took a deep breath and examined the proffered finger. "Is _that_ what the fuss was all about? You scared me half to death and all because you got a paper cut?"

"It's bleeding!"

"Not any more. Go and wash it. It'll be okay." John turned to go back upstairs, only to be stopped again by another wail. "What's wrong now?"

Alan clearly felt hard done by. "What's wrong? I've cut my finger. I need band aids and that stuff Grandma puts on cuts to stop them getting infected."

"No you don't. Just wash it. Honestly, Al, it's fine."

"But... I might get blood poisoning. Like Elmer Collins did. I don't want them to chop my arm off, Johnny."

"Elmer Collins ripped his arm open on a rusty pitchfork. He was too drunk to get it seen to and by the time he sobered up it was too late. Trust me, Al, a paper cut's not going to do that."

"It might. I wish Scott was here. Scotty wouldn't tell me to wash it. He'd do it for me."

"Then wait for Scott to come back. Or better still, take yourself up to Yale and annoy him for a while."

Alan's bottom lip was jiggling furiously now and he stared at his brother in disbelief. "You're mean, Johnny. You'll be sorry when I die..."

He flung himself onto the couch and began to sob theatrically, his face buried in a cushion. John sighed, not fooled for a minute that the tears were real. He couldn't help remembering how things had been with Virgil before Scott had left, and how well things had turned out there in the end, but somehow he didn't think he'd be able to bond with Alan in quite the same way, even if a suitable situation should arise. His youngest brother was more likely to go running to Grandma to tell tales than to willingly become his accomplice.

He heard the front door open, then a moment later Virgil strolled in. John had never been so glad to see his brother, who had a lot more patience than he did.

"What's going on?" Virgil asked, taking in the sight of Alan on the sofa and John leaning sullenly against the wall.

"I cut my finger!" Alan rolled off the sofa and ran to his brother.

"You did?" Virgil asked, bending down to look. He squinted at the finger Alan held out for his inspection. "Where? I can't see anything, Al."

He winked at John, who smiled as Alan stared open-mouthed at his brother, clearly unable to believe that no sympathy was forthcoming yet again. He was clearly building up to another bout of hysteria, but then the front door opened for a second time. With a resentful glare at his brothers Alan left the room. The two boys could hear him whimpering to Grandma. John rolled his eyes as the woman immediately began to murmur words of sympathy.

"It's alright, darling," they heard her say. "Brains sent me some cream for the first aid box. He said it worked a treat on Virgil. Not that I want you boys to hurt yourselves, but I'm rather pleased I'm going to get the chance to finally try it out."

John and Virgil exchanged evil grins.

"Should we warn him?" John asked. "That stuff hurts, doesn't it?"

"Yep." Virgil, who had been pestered almost as much as John over the past few days, threw himself down onto the couch and reached for the TV remote. John sat down next to him.

"You're as mean as I am," he said with a grin, as squeals and yelps drifted through from the kitchen, interspersed with Grandma's sharp admonishments as she told her grandson to sit still and put up with it.

"Don't you feel bad?" John asked.

"Nope," his brother replied. "It's about time he toughened up."

John laughed. "You know what, Virg? I never thought I'd say it, but we make a good team, you and me."

"We do," Virgil agreed. " Hey, imagine what we could do if we had even more of Brains' inventions."

"Yeah." John's slow, wicked grin mirrored his brother's.

"Just imagine..."


End file.
